Butterflies, Ladybugs, Fireflies, and Bumblebees
by May Never Know
Summary: Those are the only bugs that Rebecca Hopkins likes. But, then she meets a boy in the forest by chance. He loves every insect, big or small, creepy or beautiful, strong or fragile. Maybe he has something to teach her. And vice-versa.
1. Intro

Butterflies, Ladybugs, Bumblebees, and Fireflies

A/N: First of off, yes I acknowledge that I need to get back to my main stories, but...This is an itch I need to scratch. Therefore, it shall be scratched!

*ahem* Yes, a HagaXRebecca friendship-or-romance-depending-on-how-you-look-at-it one-shot. A serious, thoughtful, slightly humorous, one. Bit of angst, too, at some points, with some uplifting messages mixed in. Thinking about it, this is actually sort've like a bizarre character analysis for Insector Haga.

Basically, it's a lot of stuff. XD Might become a two-shot, actually...If enough people like it.

All right. Just for context, this takes place a couple days after the ending credits of the "Yu-Gi-Oh!" series. And here starts the one-shot!

* * *

After meeting Yuugi at the airport, Rebecca Hopkins couldn't help but feel somewhat empty inside.

Yuugi, Anzu, Honda, and Jounouchi, were all planning on going to Florence, Italy, for a school world history class trip the next day. It had been really sudden and Yuugi had of course apologized for leaving Rebecca and her grandfather in Domino that way. Still, it didn't do much. It didn't change the fact that they were going to be gone for a week.

And, sure, Rebecca's grandpa had Yuugi's grandpa to talk and play card games with. But that still left Rebecca with no one.

So it was based on her grandfather's suggestion that Rebecca "excavate" a forest off to the west side of Domino.

"Excavate," of course, wasn't really the most accurate term. It would have been more accurate to say that Rebecca was simply taking a three-foot shovel and a brush and running off to the forest to see what she could find after digging holes in the earth for a while.

It had sounded like a good idea at the time.

"Darnit!" Her shovel hit a buried tree root for the fifth time that hour. "This is getting me nowhere near a revolutionary discovery!" She concluded with a pout as she threw the shovel to the forest floor and sat down on a half-buried rock.

Rebecca had spent four hours of the day in the forest so far. It was now six o'clock in the afternoon and all she'd managed to accomplish was the digging of approximately twenty-seven holes and the accumulation of countless dirt stains all over her blue-hued clothing.

Oh, and she'd found a chicken bone an hour ago or so but she somehow doubted that this was the key to a lost civilization.

Now Rebecca decided to move on to a new area of the forest. She'd been digging in the same small clearing for the past half hour after all. So off the blonde girl went to find a new and hopefully improved place to dig.

It wasn't long before she felt the ominous sensation of being watched.

Rebecca shivered slightly before quickly whirling around to see that someone had indeed been watching her.

Strikingly frozen blue eyes stared intently out from behind large, golden, glasses. A deep scowl creased the boy's slightly impish features. Two small locks of his smooth, aqua-marine, hair poked up from the top of his head, almost giving the impression of antennae. He wasn't attractive, but he had a distinct aura of simply not caring the slightest about his appearance.

"What are you doing with that shovel, Young Miss?" He interrupted Rebecca's examination of him. He was wearing black shorts and a green, long-sleeved, shirt with a beetle silhouette pattern on it and was standing with dignity on a tree branch ten meters above the ground. So, he'd had to call down a bit for her to hear him.

"Ah…Oh, this?" She looked down at her shovel and laughed nervously before regaining her composure to look back up to the boy. "I'm excavating in this forest to find a lost civilization!"

"And not doing too well, by the looks of it." The boy laughed, obviously referring to Rebecca's filthy clothes. This messy attire meant that she'd been working for a while. Which she had, and with no civilization to brag about.

"Hey! It's not like this is _easy_, you…"

But, before she could finish, the boy leaped down from his tree branch and landed easily on the ground, bending his knees only slightly. When he straightened up, his eyes had a bold glint in them.

"You haven't dug up any tree roots on accident, _have you_?" He hissed.

Rebecca suddenly felt her confidence draining. The tenseness in the air was positively crippling.

"Well," She rubbed the back of her neck and bit her lip, feeling a little guilty now. This boy obviously seemed to care about his forest. "Maybe one or two…I didn't mean to though! I mean…er…Sorry."

At first, the fists that the boy's hands were clenched into were shaking. Then, however, he slowly calmed down before sighing and shaking his head.

"Very well. I'll let you off this time, then. Just as long as you cease your digging and leave this forest as soon as you can. Try not to step on too many plants on the way out though. It all wears down over-"

"What? Hey! Why do I have to leave?" Rebecca scowled with fists on her hips. "There's still lots of forest I haven't excavated for lost civilizations yet! You're not the boss of-YIPE!"

Before Rebecca could react, the boy's face was an inch from hers and he had her pinned to a rather large tree she'd been standing nearby. _Jeez, he's fast,_ she thought in what resembled awe.

"You have to leave, _Miss_, because your digging is going to desecrate this forest if you continue to be as reckless as you've obviously been! I've planted seeds all over, for that matter - most of which I wouldn't be surprised if you've accidentally _dug up_. Do you get the big picture now?"

Rebecca's eyes were wide as she looked back at him and bit her lip, puffing her cheeks out stubbornly.

"But…B-But!" She crossed her arms and stared back defiantly. "No! I don't want to! I've got nothing else to do because Yuugi and his friends are off in Italy! So, I'm digging. I'm going to dig and find a lost civilization so that Yuugi will spend more time with me!"

The boy's eyes widened for a moment and he lost some of his menace, which calmed Rebecca down slightly.

"You can't possibly mean _that_ Yuugi Moutou." Then, his jaw dropped as realization dawned on him and he examined her a little more closely. "Wait a minute! Don't tell me that…" He then shook his head. "No, no, it couldn't be. Did that actually _happen_? I thought it was just a dream..."

Rebecca blinked and tilted her head to the side.

"What? What happened?"

"Ugh. All right. Listen, Miss, do you know anything about the 'Orichalcos'?"

Rebecca gasped suddenly and would have pointed, had the boy not been so close to her.

"Wait! So, you're that boy! That guy who biked off with that other guy, who…"

He was nodding vigorously, now.

"Yes, yes, yes. And you're that girl who clung to Yuugi like moss to a tree." He paused. "And you're also the American National Duel Monsters Champion Rebecca Hopkins, aren't you?"

"Wait! I remember. You're Insector Haga! The Japanese National Champion. The one who likes insects a lot…Didn't Yuugi beat you in Duelist Kingdom?" She smirked.

The boy, who turned out to indeed be Insector Haga, gave her a bitter glare that was particularly fierce at such close proximity.

"Don't. Speak. About. _That_." It was straight and to the point. Rebecca realized the one topic that she should never, ever, _ever_, bring up ever again while speaking to Haga.

"Er…Sorry." She didn't really sound sorry.

"It's fine. Just leave now."

"But, I don't-"

"Leave."

"…Okay." It was getting late, anyway. And it was obvious that Haga was not going to let her go until she said that she'd leave the forest. Besides, he clearly cared for the forest's safety and that was why he wanted her to stop digging. He wasn't nice, but she thought that maybe she should respect his good intentions and dig somewhere else the next day.

_Maybe, I was just being immature…_ She thought with an inner sigh as Haga released her and took a couple steps back. Rebecca turned to go.

"Wait."

"Wha?" Rebecca nearly fell on her face as her feet screeched to a sudden stop. Haga caught her by the back of her shirt collar and propped her up on her feet.

"You're new to this forest, right? I haven't seen you around. Do you have a map that you can use to find your way out?"

"Er, umm…" The girl twitched as she realized that she now had a problem. "No."

"Oh. Well, I'll have to help you, then." He stated simply.

"What?" Rebecca blinked, not expecting that at all. "Why?"

"Well, obviously, I can't just abandon you…This is a 150-acre forest. You'll never be able to leave and come out the same way you entered on your own. _I want you out of this forest. _And no one knows this place better than I do. So, I'm going to lead you out."

"Oh…"

"What? Did you think it would be out of the kindness of my heart or something?"

"…" A blank stare.

"Don't answer that. Anyway, we should get going. It's going to rain pretty soon and this forest gets muddy when it gets showers. Plus, it's getting late."

"How do you know it's going to rain?"

"Because it's obvious. Now, let's go."

"Right." Rebecca stored her shovel in the brown canvas backpack she was wearing at the time. Part of it stuck out at the top, but that was okay. The two kids began walking through the forest.

Neither one spoke for what felt like two hours, though it was actually ten minutes, with Haga leading and Rebecca following. Eventually the strangely subdued tension nearly drove Haga crazy. So he ventured to start some sort of conversation.

"Do you like insects?"

"What?" Shocked out of her spacing out, Rebecca took a second to remember what Haga had just asked. "Well, um…I like _some_ insects, I guess."

"Like which ones?"

"Like butterflies, ladybugs, fireflies, bumblebees, and…that's about it." Rebecca shrugged.

Haga frowned.

"What about caterpillars?"

"Hm. You know, I like those, too. _Some_ of them, I mean. Some of them can be really cute."

"Wasps?"

"They hurt! I don't like them." Rebecca scowled.

"And beetles?"

"Ew! Gross." Rebecca made a face.

Haga twitched and spoke over his shoulder.

"How can you think that way?" He asked this as if it were an absolutely genuine question.

"Think what way?"

"That way. About insects."

"What do you mean?"

"I _mean_…" Haga sighed raggedly. "How can you like _some_ insects and not like all of them in some way?"

"…" Rebecca pushed a branch away from her face as she walked. "Well…I guess it's because some look cute, like ladybugs, bumblebees, and caterpillars, and some look pretty, like butterflies and fireflies. But, then some bugs, like beetles and cockroaches, look really gross or creepy. Though I guess some beetles have shiny, colorful, wing covers, but…"

"So, basically, the bugs you like are the pretty ones and the cute ones while the bugs you _don't_ like are the ugly ones."

"Well, I guess…"

"That's horribly superficial, you know." Haga had a glazed-over look in his eyes as he walked, and had slowed down to walking side-by-side with Rebecca.

Rebecca blinked, replaying her own words in her mind. Wow.

"But, I never really thought about it _that_ way…"

"Caterpillars. You said _some_ were cute, right? What did you mean by that?" Haga was staring straight ahead.

"…That's all. Some are cute and fuzzy. Some are gooey and squirmy-looking. That's all…"

"But, a caterpillar's a caterpillar, isn't it? I mean, no matter what it _looks_ like…It's still a caterpillar. So, why would you like _some_ caterpillars and not like others, just because of how they look? I just don't get it…" He looked straight at her, now. "_Why are looks so important?_"

Somehow, Rebecca had the feeling that they weren't talking about insects anymore.

There was a long pause before Rebecca finally spoke.

"Haga…What insects do _you_ like?"

"Oh. Me? I like all insects. And arachnids, too…"

"Why is that?"

"…That's going to take a long time to talk about." Haga sighed, though he was actually smiling genuinely for the first time since Rebecca met him. "So, let's start with the insects we both like. I like butterflies because they pollinate flowers, fly, and, to me, are the epitomes of positive change. A flightless caterpillar changing into a butterfly with wings, you know? It's really cool. Plus, some legends say that they're the lost souls of dead children. Which is sort've awe-inspiring. And then there are ladybugs. I like them because they're harmless to humans. They also eat aphids and therefore help plants live…"

"So, wait, does that mean you don't like aphids?" Rebecca quickly asked.

"…No, I like aphids. They're important in their own way, after all. Without them, ladybugs would all die off."

"Oh…That's true, I guess."

"Right. So, anyway, I like fireflies because they help decorate the night and are really cool with how their bodies can create light. I mean…we always think of light as coming from things like the sun, stars, and human-made objects. But, we'd never imagine light coming from a living creature if fireflies didn't exist. Sure, there are other fish I've heard of at the bottom of the sea that make light. But, it's just not nearly as cool because those fish _had_ to evolve to get those lights for survival. Since the bottom of the sea's so dark. Fireflies need their lights for survival, too. But, in a different way. Bumblebees pollinate flowers and also strike me as pretty harmless and docile. And then caterpillars…Well, I think that I've already made that apparent. They represent positive change. And they help keep plants from overrunning everything. Plus, a lot of them are fuzzy. And who can resist fuzzy little things like that?"

Rebecca giggled.

"I know _I_ can't. I like fuzzy caterpillars…"

"Some spiders are fuzzy." Haga piped up hopefully.

Rebecca shivered.

"Don't remind me."

Haga groaned.

"Okay. Now, on to the insects _I_ like and _you_ don't. For your _superficial reasons_." He ignored it when Rebecca stuck her tongue out indignantly. "Spiders are one of my favorite types of creatures…"

"But, they eat insects!" Rebecca tilted her head to the side.

"It's not like they can help it." Haga scowled at the interruption. "The same way humans can't help but eat plants and other living things. I'd go on and explain the circle of life for you, Rebecca, but I think you're smart enough to know about it already. Right?"

"Right." Rebecca sighed. "Go on."

"Very well. Spiders. First off, they make incredible webs that I consider to be works of art. Particularly when they're covered with dew in the early morning…"

Rebecca nodded. She couldn't blame him for that. Even if she didn't like spiders, she liked their webs…when she didn't accidentally walk into one of course.

"And spiders spend their whole lives living so that their children can be born. Spiders eat insects and make webs just so that their children can have a chance of surviving in the future…And what's sad about it is that female spiders die right before their eggs actually hatch. They don't even get to see it when their children are born, yet they fight their whole lives for it to happen. Spiders are admirable mothers…"

"But, that doesn't really mean much. I mean, it's just instinct." Rebecca shrugged. "All creatures live for the sake of reproduction and passing on genes. That's all it means to spiders…"

Haga raised an eye brow at her.

"Then, explain why some animals eat their own young and why some humans abuse their own children."

Rebecca rubbed the back of her neck and smiled weakly.

"…Good point."

"_Anyway_," Haga sighed. "Spiders also help keep the insect populations under control…"

"But, I thought you-"

"Overpopulation is never a good thing, Rebecca. If there were too many insects, there wouldn't be enough food for them. Locusts and the like would devour the world and we would all be left with no vegetables, fruits, etcetera. Then, we would die. And then the insects would all die. In short, Rebecca, we would all probably die sooner without spiders."

Rebecca blinked, laughing nervously as she ducked beneath another tree branch.

"Hahaha…Okay. I think I see why we _need_ spiders but I still don't like them. Maybe it's because I sympathize with the bug that gets trapped and then drained of all its fluids."

"That's fine. I sympathize with the bug too, but I'm also happy for the spider. It's a ridiculous contradiction that I'm still trying to figure out."

"Maybe, it's like good sportsmanship!"

"How does _that_ make sense?"

"Oh, you know! You're unhappy that you lost, but happy for your opponent. That sort of thing."

"Got it…Sort've. Honestly, it's difficult for me to get it since I don't give a crap about good sportsmanship."

"Why not?" Rebecca asked, blinking wildly.

"Ugh." Haga shook his head. "Because there's no point in congratulating your opponent for beating you. I mean, if you do _that_, then why the heck did you play the game in the first place? The fun in games is that you get to gloat about it when you win!"

Rebecca smiled weakly. She used to feel the same way, before meeting Yuugi. Maybe she and Haga weren't so different.

"But, that makes your opponent feel bad. I mean, isn't it bad enough just to lose? What's the point of rubbing it in afterwards? You've already got the self-satisfaction of winning after all…I bet _you_ don't like it when people gloat after beating you. Right?"

"Hm? Ha!" Haga laughed bitterly as he reached down to help Rebecca over the meter-wide root of a great tree. "Why should _I_ care about how my opponent feels? My opponent never cares about _me_!"

"Well, maybe your opponent would care more about how you feel if you acted like you cared about how he or she feels." She blinked down at Haga while lowering herself into his arms to get past the aforementioned tree root.

"As if." Haga waved his free hand dismissively at the suggestion.

Rebecca twitched.

"Hey. You care about this forest because you care about the insects, right?"

"That's a major reason, yes."

"Do the insects care about you?"

Haga frowned at this. He really liked to think that the insects cared about him but, deep down, he wasn't entirely sure. When he'd speak, he'd receive little in the way of response from them. When he'd fall, he'd sense little to no concern on their part. He had a sneaking suspicion that he was just another human to them. One that they weren't afraid of, maybe, but a human.

"Well…I'm not too sure. But at least they don't ridicule me, or hurt me for no good reason…"

Rebecca couldn't help but feel for him a little, inferring that Yuugi and company hadn't been the first to mistreat Haga. Still she pressed on.

"Well, why can't you treat humans that way then? I mean, caring about them even if you're not sure that they'll care about you?"

"Because humans are fundamentally cruel and sadistic."

Well, that was enough to strike Rebecca speechless for a few seconds.

"No, they're not!"

"As a species, yes, they are. Insects do their best to simply live their lives and take what they need to survive. Same with most other animals actually. Humans destroy and kill needlessly. Whether that means stomping on an ant hill or pointlessly attacking some country, city, or person…And humans are the only species, far as I know, that is capable of that kind of evil."

"B-…But, humans are also the only species that's capable of true kindness too!"

"Not true. I've actually heard of a lioness taking in, and caring for, a baby antelope. It may have been an isolated case, but humans aren't the only species capable of that sort of kindness. And, even if they were, the bad outweighs the good in this case!"

There was a long pause.

"I…I don't think so." Rebecca frowned.

Haga stared intently at her for a moment before sighing and rolling up his sleeve to check his watch.

"7:30 or so. Wow. Guess it's getting late."

Rebecca nodded slowly. It was Summer, so the sun was just in the middle of setting. But still, it was going to get dark soon.

"Yeah. This forest is so big. It's amazing you know your way around it…"

"Thanks…Anyway, back to insects. I like ants because I find it extremely admirable how they all work together to support their queen and colony, sacrificing some of their own comfort for-"

"But humans do that too!" Rebecca had apparently made it her mission to prove Haga wrong about humans.

"Not really, Rebecca. In case you haven't noticed, it's mostly every human for his or herself in this world. Even when humans _do_ work together, it's usually because they're either forced to or they're combining effort to compete against some other humans. Ants, on the other hand, naturally…"

"Not always! What about friends? They help each other…"

"Hmph! Friends. What do _they_ do? They're great to have to pass the pointless days, I suppose. But, when it really counts, when you're in deep trouble, they're going on about how you just should or shouldn't have done whatever you did or didn't do in the first place. Let me tell you, Rebecca, I may have never had friends, but I've seen what happens to many people when they do. It's not appealing!" His voice was increasing in pitch as he was becoming slightly angry, even though it didn't seem like he was necessarily upset at _Rebecca_…

"What about that Ryuzaki guy you were with back in the Orichalcos incident? Isn't he your friend?"

Haga shook his head.

"More like an accomplice. Accomplices are something I'm used to. But, _friends_…" He laughed bitterly.

"But you just have to find the _right_ friends! I mean, I know it's not easy. Some will stab you in the back and some will let you down. But, true friends will help you through life's hardest times. At least…" Rebecca frowned slightly. "That's…That's what I've heard."

There was yet another long pause as Haga seemed to be thinking about this.

"You don't have any friends either?" He sounded strangely serene with these words.

Rebecca smiled weakly.

"Well, I mean, I guess I'm technically friends with Yuugi but really," She shook her head. "Sometimes, it doesn't feel like I am. I mean, he has his own group of friends he always hangs out with, you know? And, besides that, it really seems like he treats me as nicely as he treats everyone else he's on good terms with. I used to like to think that we were going to get married and all that, but…Really, I realize now that I was just lying to myself."

"'_Married_'?" Haga raised an eye brow. "How old are you, Rebecca?"

"Twelve."

"Okay, that explains it." He actually chuckled quietly with a small smile. It wasn't entirely unheard of for kids to consider marriage so lightly after all. So, he wasn't too shocked. It somehow bothered him though, that Rebecca had even _considered_ marrying "Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes" as the insect duelist so disdainfully titled Yuugi in his mind…

"Yeah, I know. I think I just realized…" Rebecca beamed at Haga. "I think that I liked the _idea_ of Yuugi that way more than anything else. You know?"

"Er, yeah, sure." Haga really wasn't too sure. He wasn't exactly experienced in these matters. "So, anyway, I like cockroaches because they're the strongest insect. And wasps are cool because they-"

"Can we talk about something else?"

"Hm?" Haga sounded really surprised. "Hey, you were the one who asked me about why I like all insects in the first place!"

"I know. I get it now. You like insects because they have their own virtues but I'm getting bored of that. I want to talk about something else."

Haga sighed.

"Ugh. _Kids_…"

"Hey! You know, I'm only three years younger than you."

"Yeah, but you're still a kid."

"So are you!"

"Well, you're an even _younger_ kid."

Rebecca, as if to prove Haga's point for the fun of it, stuck her tongue out and made a funny face at him.

"Bleh! Who's the kid, _now_?"

They both were surprised to find themselves laughing hysterically at this, since it didn't seem like something that should be that funny.

For a while after that, Rebecca and Haga somehow ended up talking about the daily things. Like school. It turned out that they were both starting college next year. Though Haga wasn't what you'd call a "prodigy", he was indeed very intelligent. Enough to be pushed forward a couple years. They also talked about music. They both liked classical, though Haga liked all sorts of alternative techno and rock while Rebecca liked alternative pop. They talked about movies. Both agreed that theatres no longer showed anything good anymore, and longed to see something that wasn't just a re-hash of all the old stuff. Somehow, they got around to the subject of food. She liked pizza and seafood. He liked to eat bee larvae, which confused Rebecca immensely until he reminded her about "The Circle of Life". They both loved ice cream. A big subject for them consisted of books. Rebecca liked fantasy and historical novels (fiction or nonfiction.) Haga liked to read all sorts of nonfiction because he loved to learn about the world. After being questioned as to whether or not he liked to learn about humans, Haga just shrugged and said that, though he didn't like humans as a species, he thought they were somewhat interesting. For that reason, he had begun to study psychology a few months earlier. Rebecca had laughed and told him that he sounded like an alien studying humans in his detached sort of way. He didn't deny it.

Eventually, Rebecca felt a drop of water bounce off of her cheek.

"Hm?" She held out a hand and caught another raindrop. "Uh-oh."

"Got that right. This forest's soil is the type that becomes extremely muddy. For some reason. If you ask me, it's because a lot of the topsoil isn't as bunched around tree roots as it should be, which is actually one of the reasons I've been planting trees here. So, we'd better be very careful." He said as the small drizzle intensified into the beginnings of a downpour.

"Agh. I wish I brought my rain boots." Rebecca groaned as she accidentally stepped into an unexpectedly deep puddle – about four inches deep. It soaked straight to her socks. Haga helped her out and back on to the path.

"Hm…Rebecca, I know it's getting late, but I don't think that we'll be able to-" It was at that moment when a loose rock beneath his foot gave way and he fell flat on his back. Since Rebecca had still been holding on to him, he dragged her down as well. And since the soil had gotten so muddy and they'd been walking down a slightly sloped path, this caused the two of them to slide straight down this mudslide holding on to each other for dear life.

Or at least, _Rebecca_ seemed like she was holding on to him for dear life. In Haga's case, he apparently couldn't stop laughing until they gradually slid to a stop when the slope ended.

"Aw…Now, look what happened! I'm all muddy." Rebecca griped, touching her now even messier clothes with disgust. Her glasses were askew.

Haga blinked for a moment before laughing once again. His glasses were also off center and he had to adjust them.

"Honestly, Rebecca, you weren't exactly 'squeaky-clean' when you first crossed my path. What's a little more grime going to do? Besides, it's not like a little mud ever hurt anyone…It compliments your blue outfit very nicely, I think!"

Rebecca pouted for a moment.

"Oh, yeah? Well, _you_-…" Then, it suddenly hit her: If this were Yuugi she was with, he would be making a fuss, apologizing for dragging her down with him, and blaming it all on himself. Haga was making light of the situation and, something deep down inside Rebecca told her, trying to cheer her up. She wasn't being mocked. Not really.

She wondered if others often reacted to Haga's comments as if he meant the worst thing possible by them.

So, Rebecca lost the pout and just laughed along with him. After about twenty seconds of laughing on the muddy ground, Haga stood up and offered Rebecca his hand.

"Guess we should be careful. Right?"

"'_We'_? Hey, _you_ were the one who fell in the first place!" Nevertheless, Rebecca took his hand and he helped her up.

She didn't let go of his hand as she adjusted her glasses. She was a little worried that she would fall again.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Anyways, do you happen to have a watch, Rebecca?"

"Why? Don't you have one?" Rebecca blinked.

Haga lifted the hand she was holding to roll up his sleeve and show her his wrist. In the shadows, it was at first difficult to see what had happened. But, after looking hard enough, Rebecca realized that his watch was broken.

"It smashed against a rock when we fell," he explained. "I heard it crack."

"You heard it crack while we were sliding in the mud, but you were laughing the whole time?" Rebecca was blinking in confusion.

"Laughing keeps me sane." Haga shrugged. "I always have to find something to laugh or joke about, whether that means laughing at anything amusing I see, or making fun of other people. Otherwise, I think I'd go mad."

"Why's that?" Rebecca actually sounded a little concerned.

There was no response. He simply asked again,

"So, do you have a watch?"

Rebecca shook her head.

"Oh. Well, a cell phone, then?" Haga asked hopefully.

"Yeah. After checking the time, maybe I should call my grandpa to let him know I'll be home late…"

"And let me call my sister after you're finished."

"How come you don't carry a cell phone?"

Haga turned away, a little embarassed.

"Usually, I do but I forgot it today."

Rebecca nodded.

"All right." She flipped open her cell phone, turned it on, and her eyes widened. "Woah! No way. It's already 8:30!"

"Not too surprising. I guess we had just thought it was dark because of those clouds…"

"We've really got to hurry then!"

"Umm…"

Rebecca frowned. She did not like that coming from Haga. He was normally such a confident guy after all…

"What's wrong, Haga?"

"…Do you happen to have a flashlight?"

"…"

"Well, _do_ you? It's getting really dark, Rebecca…"

"…Crap." She almost never even used curse words as light as this, not since she'd decided to stop saying "damn" so immaturely all the time. Sometimes though, the situation just called for it.

"Agh…No matter then. We'll just have to use your cell phone's light. Anyway, do you have signal?"

"Er…No."

"Damnit!" Haga also wasn't the type to curse too often. "My sister's put me on a curfew ever since the Orichalcos incident! If I don't get home soon, she's going to chop me up into bits and then feed me to her Venus Flytraps."

Rebecca handed her cell phone to Haga so that he, being the one who knew the way, could have some light, as they began walking slowly and carefully.

"And if I don't get home soon, my grandpa's going to interrogate me. And, if he adds my being home late, to my being with a guy who's three years older than me, he won't let me see you again!"

"Oh, well, that's-…Wait, what?" Haga blinked. "_'Again'_? Rebecca…What do you mean by that?"

"…Well, I mean…" Rebecca bit her lip, absent-mindedly tightening her grip on Haga's hand. "I'd like to see you again. That's all. I like you. I mean, not that way, but…You know." She shifted uncomfortably, now thankful that the darkness was covering the light pink forming on her cheeks.

"Wh-Wh…_What_?" Haga's mind could not seem to process this, as smart as he was. "How can you like _me_? I'm-! …I mean, I'm…I don't believe you. _Nobody_ likes me! I mean, outside of my family, at least...And even _they_ all admit that I'm-" He shook his head, sparing himself that mild insult. "Y-You know Yuugi and his friends, right? Haven't they _told_ you about me?"

It wasn't that Haga wasn't flattered by this possibility. He just couldn't exactly trust anyone. For all he knew, Rebecca was just buttering him up to take advantage of him. He had to be careful.

He always had to be careful.

"Well…" Rebecca rubbed the back of her neck and nodded, hoping that Haga's eyes had adjusted to the lack of light enough to see her. "They did tell me a little bit about you, but it never really sounded to me like…like…" She trailed off.

"Like what, Rebecca?" Haga seemed to have calmed down slightly.

"…Like they knew you. It didn't sound like they really _knew_ you. All they know is what you've done and how you've acted towards them. In other words, how you've acted towards people that you dislike or are angry at." Rebecca explained, showing a little bit of her above-average mind.

Haga frowned slightly, but then couldn't help but smirk a tiny bit.

"…All right. So, that's true. They don't really know me. I can easily admit that. But, still…"

Rebecca continued.

"Sure, they said some stuff. They mentioned that you threw some of Yuugi's cards into the sea, cheated against Jounouchi in a duel, and joined the Orichalcos for revenge against Yuugi. And Anzu and Jounouchi started going on saying that you're 'an evil, stinking, cockroach who never plays fair and is worth less than a pile of garbage.' Yuugi sort've fazed out of the conversation at that point. But, anyway, yeah, that stuff you did was wrong. And when I first met you and found out who you were, I thought that they were right about you…But…" She paused.

Haga was twitching slightly at this point, half of him wanting to slap Rebecca straight across the face. His other half was restraining him though…

"_But_…?"

Rebecca took her free hand and gripped Haga's arm tightly in what was similar to a hug as they stepped over a puddle.

"But, then I guess I sort've realized how much you cared about this forest. And the insects."

"And spiders. And scorpions."

Rebecca actually giggled a little.

"And those. So I guess I decided that anyone who could care about something that much must not be _all bad_. So I gave you a chance. I've decided that Yuugi and his friends were partially right…"

Haga groaned.

"Yeah, uh-huh…"

"…But only in that you don't play honestly. And I've decided that you're not nice, at first at least, to people who anger you…"

"Like people who _dig up tree roots_." Haga chimed in with a small smile.

Rebecca laughed nervously before continuing.

"But otherwise I've decided that, though you've done bad things, that doesn't make you a bad person. And I've decided that I like you! You're really smart, which is more than I can say for Yuugi's friends, and you're interesting to have conversations with. Because, it's not that I don't like Yuugi, but…He's sort've, compared to you…Oh, what's the word for it?"

"Bland?"

"Yeah, that fits well. Yuugi is smart too, I mean. But, conversations with him are actually sort've boring. Because…he _never argues_!" She suddenly exploded, with a loud groan. She surprised Haga a bit, but continued, "You talk to him and talk to him and you can tell that he disagrees with you on something, but he won't argue. Unless it has to do with Duel Monsters, he'll just sort've nod and listen a little, to be nice. Gah! And besides, his is a _different_ kind of smart from yours. He's good with puzzles, wise, and good with strategy." A scoff of resentment from Haga, but Rebecca ignored it as she pressed on, "You're clever, skilled with words when you want to be, smart about nature, strangely wise about some things, witty, _and_ good with strategy. What's more you've got a twisted sense of humor that I think I'm growing to like, as long as you don't go _too_ far. Sure, you're a jerk but you're also a _charming_ sort of _smart_ jerk. Does that make sense?"

"Certainly. In other words, I'm _interesting_." Haga grinned.

"Hey! Don't go getting a swelled head." Rebecca gripped his arm a little tighter as mock warning while sticking her tongue out kiddingly. "You're fun to laugh and argue with. That's all."

"Great. So, you like me because you like to argue with me. I can tell that this is going to be a _beautiful_ friendship." He stated sarcastically, but with a small smile, not actually expecting her to want to be friends with him…

"Yeah…" Rebecca grinned. "I think so, too!"

"Eh…What?"

The rain started to fall harder. It basically felt like a river in the sky was flooding its banks and the forest was catching all the water.

Haga sighed, holding the cell phone out for Rebecca to take.

"This is going to get water-damaged if it stays out in the rain. You ought to put it away." He had to raise his voice slightly over the sound of water splashing against the ground and the tree branches.

"Okay!" Rebecca let go of Haga with one hand to take the phone and store it in a deep part of her canvas backpack. Next to the shovel. "But, wait! How are you going to see?"

"My eyes are already adjusting. Besides, we're far enough now. I know my way out really well from here onwards…"

"Oh, okay. So, anyway, that's why I like you." Rebecca paused, and then added, "Your confidence and sarcasm also make you kind've cute in your own weird way!" She also had to speak over the thunderous din of the downpour.

"Wait, wh-"

"Wanna be friends?"

"Are you crazy?"

"I'm not!"

"Well, I'll think about it then. But, how do I know you won't betray me? People do that to supposed 'friends' all the time…And if they don't betray you, then they'll abandon you when they get bored."

"You'll just have to trust me! That's what friends _do_."

"…You know you'll have to accept both the good _and_ the bad of dealing with me, right?"

"I know. I'm okay with it. I mean…" Rebecca shrugged. "I'm pretty sure _I_ haven't always been this nice. At least, that's what I've been told." She grinned. "So? Friends, then?"

"…"

"Haga?"

"Fine."

"Fine?"

"Fine."

"What's fine?"

"This."

"What's 'this?'" Rebecca was smirking, wanting him to say it out loud…

"ALL RIGHT! We'll be friends!" Haga sounded like some sort of mix between feeling ragged and oddly happy.

"Yay!" Rebecca practically hopped over and hugged him.

Haga froze, apparently not too certain how to react. What did one do while being hugged by a girl? Was it appropriate to hug back? Did Haga _want_ to hug back? For how long was one supposed to hug? Would there be _time_ for Haga to hug her back? Was there some particular _way_ to hug back? Those were the questions that buzzed through his brain like busy wasps in a hive…

Eventually, Rebecca let go of him. He hadn't actually hugged her back, but she seemed to understand.

"Just one condition, all right?" Haga groaned after regaining his composure.

"What is it?"

"Don't try to change me."

"Uh, what?" Rebecca blinked.

"'_Change_ me'." Haga repeated. "Don't try that. Every other time someone's offered to be my friend, it's obviously been because they think that they can somehow make me a better person through '_guidance and support._'" He droned the last two words dryly.

"Oh…" Rebecca smiled weakly, now glad that Haga couldn't see her expression. He'd almost hit her mental reasoning right on the nose. Almost, but not quite…

"I don't want that." Haga continued. "I want to be me. Nobody else wants me to be me, but I do. People give me lectures when they think that what I'm doing is wrong. The ones who offer to be my friends are usually the ones who toss me that crap. Sweeter-phrased crap maybe, but it's still the same. Those people are ones that see something _wrong_ with me, the ones that want me to change to fit their ideals of how people are supposed to be…None of them ever liked me. Not really. They just felt like they'd be doing the world a favor by changing one guy into a Mr. Perfect. I always knew this. And that's why I laughed at, and turned down, every one of them…Every one of them thought that they were just so much better than me. It made me sick because not one of them even knew me."

"…" Rebecca understood now, but she didn't know what to say. For once.

"…But, you seem different." Haga almost laughed bitterly. "You seem like you think you're better than most everyone else…"

Rebecca was shocked out of her thought process enough to pout indignantly.

"Hey! That's not-"

"Let me finish." Haga hissed before sighing and continuing. "You seem like you think you're better than everyone else…" Then, he smirked. "_Not_. _Just_. _Me_."

Each word was its own sentence and carried its own message.

Rebecca stared for a moment. She wasn't quite sure that she understood.

"Ugh. Nevermind." Haga shook his head. "Maybe, that's a little too complicated."

"You are pretty complicated…"

"I'm not sure whether that's a compliment or an insult."

"Neither."

"Oh. Okay…" Haga muttered something like, "Long as it's not an insult…" before speaking to Rebecca again. "Maybe, you'll understand this more: Do you remember when you asked me why I liked all insects?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, no one has ever done that before." Haga stated simply.

"Er…And…?" Rebecca raised an eye brow.

"And…" Haga sighed. "No one has ever done that before. And not just about insects. No one has ever asked me _why_. Period."

"'Why' what?"

"'Why' _everything_." He replied. "Why I like insects, why I have no care for sportsmanship, why I treat people the way I do, why I cheat, why I am the way I am! All anyone ever does is lecture, preach, and criticize. As if they know everything, which no one does. NOBODY ASKS _WHY_!" He suddenly exploded.

Rebecca simply stared at his silhouette, finally realizing what Haga meant. And why he'd been relatively gentle towards her during their time together.

"I get it now…You can calm down."

Haga took a deep breath before mumbling,

"Anyway, so do you promise you won't try and change me?" He'd decided to bring back the main issue.

Rebecca nodded.

"I promise I won't." Then, she grinned. "No point, anyway. You're obviously the type of guy who does what he wants. You'll change on your own if you want to. Just like I did!" She crossed her arms proudly.

Haga tilted his head and looked at her for a moment before laughing.

"Whatever, Rebecca! Live in that fantasy world, if you want."

"Well, then we'll _both_ be living in that fantasy world. Because we're friends, right?"

Haga adjusted his glasses thoughtfully.

"…Right. Friends."

"And friends stick together." She continued stubbornly, a little annoyed that she was the most eager in this prospect.

"_Yay._" Haga muttered sarcastically in response while taking off his glasses and un-fogging them. He was rolling his eyes.

However, he was also smiling.

"Why aren't you more enthusiastic about this?" Rebecca pouted, not able to see Haga's smile in the dark. "I'm your first human friend, for goodness' sa-EEP!"

What had interrupted Rebecca was something very simple, yet surprising: Haga had reached over and ruffled up Rebecca's hair.

"I _know_." He spoke softly, without a single hint of sarcasm, anger, ridicule, or bitterness in his voice. A rarity, for the insect duelist.

After blinking wildly for a second or two, Rebecca laughed. So did Haga. Two sopping wet kids laughing in a forest during a rain storm at night. It's hard to believe that there have been stranger things.

Once they managed to stop laughing, Haga removed his hand from her head and the two kids turned away, despite the fact that their equally pink faces couldn't be seen, in embarrassment.

"Sorry." Haga said flatly.

"It's…fine." Rebecca laughed nervously.

"We're almost out of the forest. Let's go." Haga said, taking Rebecca's hand and proceeding to continue the walk a little faster than they had been so far.

They got twenty or so meters closer to the exit when Haga cleared his throat.

"By the way, don't think that my holding your hand means _that_. It's just that we might get separated with it being so dark and I don't want to have to go through the trouble of looking for you. That's all…"

"Hmph! Whatever. I never thought it meant, er, _that_ in the first place, anyway." She tried not to seem defensive.

"Really? Good."

"Good."

There was a long pause before Haga spoke quietly.

"…You know…You never answered my question."

"Hm? Question?" Rebecca blinked. "Which question?"

"_Why are looks so important?_ That question. You never answered it. Why not?"

"I…guess I didn't know _how_ to answer, at the time."

"Oh. Okay. Do you know how to answer, now?"

"I think so…" Rebecca frowned thoughtfully before smiling at Haga's silhouette. "I think that I've decided…Looks _aren't_ important."

The insect duelist grinned widely.

"Good. So, what insects do you like _now_?"

"Well, let's see…" Rebecca thought about it. "All of the insects I said I liked. Plus…those squirmy little green caterpillars. They really are just caterpillars…And maybe beetles are okay too. They really don't do any harm, most of the time…I still don't like wasps though. They're painful and kind've scary."

"_Maybe_, I understand that." Haga chuckled, suddenly taking her free hand and touching her fingers to the back of his other hand, which she was holding. At first, Rebecca was confused by this. Then, she felt a few pointy bumps on his skin…

"What are _those_?" Rebecca tilted her head to the side.

"Wasp stings." Haga chuckled. "From earlier today. A couple of hours or so before we met."

"How'd _that_ happen?" Rebecca didn't think Haga was the type to go whacking wasp nests.

"I was walking through the forest and I got lost in thought, so I stepped on a log. Unfortunately, there was a wasp nest in that particular log and that particular log was rotting so much that my foot broke through and I wound up getting chased by a swarm all the way through the forest. Got stung five times on the hand you're holding, twice on my other hand, about twelve times on each ankle, a couple on the back of my neck, and once in the crook of my knee cap." He laughed, obviously not too upset about it.

"And you still like wasps?" Rebecca gaped, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Well, sure." Haga shrugged. "They were just protecting their home. I feel sorry for the poor little Dears, actually. I hope I didn't step on too many or destroy too much of their nest…"

Rebecca smiled.

"Haga, that's so sweet of you to think that way!"

"What?"

"Well, if you'd only just be that way towards humans, maybe people would like you more!"

"Hmph. I doubt it…"

"But I like you!"

"That's because you know me."

"Yeah, but if you'd show people the good side you've shown to insects and to me…"

"Won't work. I used to be that way, when I was little. It didn't help. I'm tired of this conversation, Rebecca. Can we talk about something else?"

"Hey…" Rebecca sounded hopeful.

"What?"

"I think the rain's stopping."

"You just noticed?" Haga grinned.

Rebecca stuck her tongue out.

"Yeah. I did. But, it doesn't really matter. We're both still drenched."

Haga smirked.

"On the bright side, it cleaned off some of the muck we got covered in from our little mudslide…"

"That's true." She giggled.

"And just in time! We have officially reached the exit of this forest." Haga announced proudly as the two kids emerged from the wet foliage and began walking through Domino city.

"Well, _FINALLY_! How long did that take?" Rebecca groaned.

"Roughly? Two and a half hours."

"Woah…" The girl shook her head. But, then she smiled slightly. "Wasn't so bad though, I guess. It's really lucky that I met you there, Haga. If I hadn't, I might never have found my way out of that forest…"

"Yup! You would have had to live the rest of your life feeding off of berries and plants while running away from bears." Haga chirped jokily.

"Haha, yeah, I would have-WAIT, WHAT?" Rebecca froze suddenly, eyes wide. _"Bears?"_

"Just kidding, Rebecca." The insect duelist snickered.

"Dangit, Haga! Don't scare me like that…"

"Sorry~!" He didn't sound sorry.

As they began walking through the fairly safe streets of Domino, Haga looked at Rebecca.

"Your cell phone still working?" He wasn't too sure if it would be, after all that rain…

"Let me see…" Rebecca reached into her backpack with her free hand and took out her cell phone. She flipped it open and sighed with relief. "Yup. It's working fine. And it is…Woah! It's already 9:05."

"Damn! Five minutes past my curfew."

"Mine, too." Rebecca smiled weakly. "Think it might be better if we just sneak into our houses and act like we got back earlier than we actually did?"

Haga laughed.

"Not so innocent, are you? But, eh, that works if your grandpa is asleep by now. As for me…" He cringed. "My sister is probably sitting in the front living room right now…Waiting for me to walk through that door so that she can give me the grounding of a life time."

"Ouch."

"I know. Problem is, I don't know what I'm going to use as an excuse…I can't just go telling her the truth, after all. She won't believe me."

"Won't believe you?"

"Won't believe that I'm late home because I've just helped a girl find her way out of the forest. I think she'll at least believe me about the rainstorm, though…" Haga looked down at his soaked clothes.

"I could always back you up on it." Rebecca volunteered.

"While I would appreciate that, I should probably walk you home. It wouldn't feel right leaving a twelve year-old to go home all by herself at night…"

"All right. But, I still want to back you up so that you don't get chopped up into pieces and fed to your sister's Venus Flytraps. You want to call your sister? I think I have signal…"

Haga nodded.

"I'll hand the phone to you when it becomes necessary…"

"Here you go." She handed it to him and he dialed a number.

"Hi, Si-…Eheh. Yeah, I know. Listen, Sis, I can explain…No, don't send out the search party. I'm all right…Well, you see, funny thing. I met a girl in the forest. And she didn't have a clue how to get out. So, I helped her and there was a rain storm and that's why I'm so late getting…You _believe_ me? …Uh-huh. Okay. _Very_ funny, Sis. All right. I'll be back in a bit. Just have to walk her home…No, she is _not_ my girlfriend!" And he hung up before handing the phone back to Rebecca.

"She believes you?" She blinked.

"…She said that I would never be stupid enough to try _lying_ about _helping_ a girl out of the forest. So I therefore had to be telling the truth."

"Oh. Sounds logical."

"Mmhm. So, are you going to call your grandpa?"

"Yup." Rebecca speed-dialed a number on her phone before talking. "Hi, Grandpa...I'm okay, I'm okay, don't worry, I'm okay! No, no, yes…No. Okay. Well, actually, I would have been lost in the forest forever but this boy helped me out…Yeah, we just made it out of the forest a few minutes ago…No, I don't. We're just friends. And actually we just became friends today…_Yes_, Grandpa. I talked to a stranger. No big deal! He's not that much older than me." Technically, it was true. Three years wasn't really _that_ much older. Besides, Rebecca's grandpa let her hang out with Yuugi, who was _five_ years older. Rebecca sighed. "Okay, no problem. He's walking me home right now anyway. All right, love you, Grandpa! Bye!" She hung up.

"Well, that sounded like it went well." Haga, amazingly, wasn't being sarcastic.

"Grandpa wants to meet you." She deadpanned.

"Oh. Should I be frightened?" He asked, walking along with Rebecca in the direction of (presumably) her current living quarters.

"No, my grandpa's nice. But then again, my grandpa's friends with Yuugi's grandpa."

"Oh, _brilliant_." It was as if a sarcasm-o-meter somewhere in the world exploded thanks to Haga at that moment. "Yuugi's grandpa knows about me. Heck, he made a snarky comment during my duel with Jounouchi. I get the feeling he _really_ doesn't like me. Your grandpa's probably not going to like me either, Rebecca…"

"Aw, _I_ like you, Haga…"

"You're the first."

Rebecca smiled weakly.

"Er, right. So, let's just hope that his grandpa doesn't mention what you're like to my grandpa. Otherwise, we might not be able to visit each other...My grandpa wouldn't trust you enough to let me visit _your_ house and you'd explode from the tenseness in the air visiting _my_ house."

"True, true. We could always meet in the forest…Earlier in the day though, so that we don't end up reliving the rainstorm-no-flashlight-no-signal-two-hour-walk that we went through tonight…"

"Right. Maybe, we could go looking for…insects…or something like that." Rebecca laughed nervously, trying to imagine what she and Haga would be able to do in the forest.

Haga grinned at her, chuckling.

"Why not? But, you'll have to bring your own butterfly net, if you want to use one. I only have one…I used to have two, but the other one broke when I fell from a tree."

"All right then. Just be polite when you meet my grandpa, okay?"

"Family of my first and only friend? Sure, I'll be polite. Just don't expect me to be _nice_." Haga grinned.

"I'd be an idiot if I expected _you_ to be _nice_, Haga." She grinned straight back. Then, she seemed to be thinking about something. "Hmm…You know, I just remembered that I mentioned on the phone your helping me out of the forest! See? You've already scored points with my grandpa."

"Uh-huh…" Haga droned.

It wasn't long before the two kids reached what was apparently Rebecca's temporary apartment.

Rebecca rang the door bell. "Grandpa! I'm home!"

It wasn't long before the door opened to reveal none other than Arthur Hopkins.

"Hi, Grandpa!" Rebecca embraced him before gesturing to Haga. "And this is the friend I mentioned – Insector Haga."

Haga suddenly felt himself shrink into a small spot on the ground.

"Ah, yes, Sir…Good evening…" He waved weakly. Yes, he was normally confident. But Rebecca just said his name. With his crime of throwing the Exodia cards into oblivion, he had no idea whether or not Yuugi's grandpa had talked to Rebecca's grandpa about Haga…

"Good evening, Young Man." Arthur Hopkins nodded, reaching out a hand for Haga to shake. "I thank you for helping my granddaughter."

"It was, ah," Haga reached forward and shook his hand. "No problem. Now, I apologize, but I should be getting home. My sister's waiting for me. So, if you'll please excuse me…"

"Oh, no, no need to rush. I haven't properly thanked you!" Arthur smiled generously. "Why don't you come in and get yourself dried off? I'm certain my granddaughter would be happy if you stayed for a little while. I have a friend over, but he would probably like to meet you as well..."

It was only apparent to Rebecca that alarms were going off in Haga's head at that moment. The most likely candidate for "a friend over" was pretty obvious…

Haga looked down at himself, just then realizing that he was still sopping wet from the rainstorm.

"Ah…Sorry, sorry! I have a curfew. And if I don't get back soon, my sister will tear the city down looking for me, so bye-bye!" And, with that, Haga turned before running off at full speed, but not before Rebecca slipped something into his pocket. She waved after him.

"Thanks for everything, Haga!" She called out, laughing afterwards.

Arthur laughed as well.

"What an interesting young man…"

"Who was that?" Sugoroku Mutou asked, stepping up from behind Arthur after a minute or two. "His voice sounded familiar…"

"Oh, that was the boy that helped Rebecca out of the forest today: Insec-"

"Ahahahahaha!" Rebecca quickly interrupted. "Hi, Mr. Mutou! Er, weren't you just planning on going soon? Ahahaha…"

Sugoroku blinked.

"Well, I suppose I was." He turned to his friend. "It was nice visiting you, Arthur."

He nodded.

"As always, my friend."

"Hahahaha…I'm going to get dried off, then…" Rebecca managed to make it two feet through the doorway before…

"Now, wait just a minute, Rebecca. I think we should set some limits on how long you're allowed to stay in the forest…"

"Awww…_Grandpa_!"

"You didn't let me finish." And then he grinned. "We'll set some limits on how long you're allowed to stay in the forest _without_ that charming young friend of yours – Insector Haga, was it?"

"Wait, what?" Sugoroku's eyes widened. "_Insector Haga?_"

"CRAP!" Rebecca nearly shrieked before speaking very quickly. "HAHAHA! Nice seeing you, Mr. Mutou. Sorry you have to go. Here's your jacket. BYE, Mr. Mutou!" And she closed the door before running into the bathroom to dry herself off and clear her mind with a hot shower.

Arthur just sighed and shook his head. He had the feeling that his friend knew that boy somehow. And, from how Rebecca and Haga were acting, it probably wasn't good…

Meanwhile, Sugoroku was laughing as he walked home.

* * *

"I _knew_ that kid wasn't _all_ bad. I'll have to tell Yuugi about this when he returns…"

Haga sneezed.

"Ugh, I hope I'm not getting a cold." He muttered as he sat next to his sister on the couch in his living room. He wore his nice, dry, green, PJ clothes.

She handed him a tissue.

"You know, I find it hilarious that you actually helped her…What was your motivation?"

He blew his nose.

"I wanted her out of my forest. That's all…" He told the truth.

At the time, he _had_ wanted her out of his forest. However, as the two kids had started talking, he'd unconsciously looped round and around. This made their walk longer than it actually needed to be. In retrospect, Haga realized, he had probably thought that he'd never get to really talk to a human outside his family like that again.

But, those fears turned out to be unfounded – Now, she was his friend. It was probably the craziest thing in the world, but she was his friend.

"So, you two are friends now, hm? You happy about that, Haga?" His sister smiled as she wrapped a blanket around his shoulders.

Haga stared down at his hands in his lap. He said nothing.

"Little brother? You going to answer?" She tilted her head to the side.

He nodded.

"Then, are you happy that you're friends with her, Haga?"

The insect duelist bundled himself up in his blanket. Wrapped himself in his cocoon.

"Yeah. Guess so."

She stood up and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

"Now, that's my brother. You want some hot cocoa?"

"That'd be nice. Thanks, Sis."

"No problem, Kiddo." And, with that, she walked out of the room to get Haga his much-deserved cocoa.

Left alone in the living room, the boy wrapped his blanket cocoon further around himself so that only the top of his shiny blue hair showed.

Maybe, he decided, all of Anzu's friendship rants were as true as they were ear-gratingly obnoxious.

And maybe the bad _didn't_ outweigh the good in humans.

Maybe.

_Maybe._

Haga had some thinking to do. Maybe, his blanket cocoon and some cocoa would help.

"Hey, Haga, I found something in your shorts' pocket." His sister sounded happy in a subtle way as she entered the living room with cocoa in one hand and something else in the other.

The boy emerged from his blankets and reached for what she held in her hand. It was a folded-up piece of paper.

"Oh, that's right…" He muttered, not necessarily to his sister. "She slipped something into my pocket before I left." He unfolded the piece of paper and, at that moment, it looked like his eyes were going to pop straight out of his head.

He had her e-mail address.

The boy was out of the room before his sister could say another word. He even forgot about his cocoa and had to run back to get it.

When he made his second trip, she chuckled.

"Don't stay up on the computer _too_ late, Haga." She was grinning a grin that nearly matched Haga's usual one.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." And he was gone, though perhaps not as fast this time since he had to be careful with his cocoa.

His sister, after being left alone, laughed loudly.

"Whoever this girl is, I have _got_ to meet her!"

Rebecca went to the forest the next day.

She was carrying a butterfly net in her backpack.

When he saw her, he leaped down from his tree branch once again.

"Rebecca…Would you like to learn how to climb trees?" He was smiling.

She grinned.

"If you'll teach me."

"Who else would?"

"I'll trust you then."

"Good." He walked over and stood beside her.

"Because we're friends, right?"

"Right. For now."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

Haga shrugged and laced his fingers behind his head as the two began walking closely together.

"Depends on how you look at it."

Her expression was something like a cross between a pout and a smile.

"Aw, Haga, can't you say what you mean more often?"

"Now where would the fun in that be?"

~The End~

…Depending on how you look at it.

* * *

A/N: Yes, Haga's sister is an OC. If only we knew about his real family, I wouldn't have to do this...

Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed it. :)


	2. Your Thoughtless Words 1st Part

A/N: This is the second part of, what I've decided to make, a three-shot, in which Rebecca attempts to get Haga and Yuugi to hold a truce. It takes place one month after the events of the previous chapter.

None of the characters, besides Haga's sister, belongs to me. They belong to the creators of the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime/manga. I do not own them.

* * *

"Happy Birthday, my friend."

"That's the fourth time you've said that today, Haga!" Rebecca laughed as she and her friend sat across from each other at a small, round, table. They were near the back of an ice cream shop decorated with the colors of blueberries and pink cotton candy. "But, thanks."

Haga shrugged and nervously nibbled on the remains of his second waffle cone. "I'm trying to get used to saying it." He mumbled.

Rebecca smiled and giggled a bit. "It's been a whole month and you're still not used to calling me your friend?"

"Hey! I haven't said the word in a long time. It's hard just saying, 'friend' to anyone!" He gave a wry half-smile. "So, how's your _third_ ice cream cone?"

"As good as the first!" Rebecca chirped with a wide grin. Since it was her thirteenth birthday, Haga had decided to treat her to as much ice cream as she wanted. After that, they'd run off to the forest – their official "hangout" spot – for the rest of the day. "Thanks again for this, Haga. You're a great friend."

"Stop saying that." Haga muttered, covering his face with one hand and turning away slightly. She was making him blush, as he almost always did when feeling flattered.

They'd gotten quite close over the past weeks, meeting at each other's houses or at the forest (Haga's "second home" as he liked to describe it) every day and chatting online till ten o'clock at night. It wasn't as if Haga had anyone else to talk to, since his sister worked during the day. His parents needed not apply – they were _always_ on business trips away from home.

As for Rebecca, well, her grandpa did a lot of research even though he was at home all day. They'd talk of course, but she didn't want to hold him up from his archaeological studies. He'd also sometimes talk on the phone with Sugoroku Moutou and other colleagues of his. And Rebecca didn't just want to wait around till he had a hole in his schedule. Then, there was Yuugi and his friends, but Rebecca didn't really feel much like spending time with them anymore.

It was just a little more fun, Rebecca would admit, to talk one-on-one with another kid. And indeed, Haga was another kid. And, far as she knew, he would only ever hold one-on-one conversations with Rebecca. He always had time for her, and she could visit whenever she wanted to. He wouldn't mind. And she liked this extra attention.

But, then it struck her: She hadn't seen, or spoken to, Yuugi in a _month_. Heck, she'd hardly even _thought_ about him unless it became relevant somehow…

"Uh, Rebecca?" Haga snapped his fingers in front of her face. "Rebeccaaaaa? You okay? You're sort've spacing out…Do you have brain-freeze, or something?"

"Huh?" Rebecca blinked, getting thrown back into reality face first. "Er…brain-freeze? No."

"Okay. Because I was wondering why you're letting your ice cream melt all over your shirt." Haga deadpanned.

"Wah! My shirt?" Rebecca immediately tossed her ice cream cone on to a pile of napkins before taking some to wipe her shirt clean. "Aw…Why didn't you tell me earlier, Haga?"

"I tried to say something." He replied, finishing off his ice cream cone. "I waited for you to respond, but you didn't. I got worried. I thought you were having a stroke, or something."

"Eheh…" Rebecca chuckled bitterly as she tried in vain to wipe the ice cream off. She pouted in frustration. What remained on her shirt was a very large, dark stain. Plus, the ice cream had still been cold when it melted, and it was starting to sink in.

"Here." Haga sighed. To Rebecca's surprise, what he wore almost all the time – green, and with a beetle silhouette – was actually a thin jacket, not merely a long-sleeve shirt as she'd always thought it was. He'd taken it off and was holding it out for her to wear over her messy shirt.

"Thanks." Rebecca took off her own blue midriff coat and put Haga's jacket on, buttoning it up to her neck. It felt light and comfortable, but a little too big for her. Plus, it was just weird wearing Haga's jacket. Not unpleasant, just _weird_. Rebecca noticed absent-mindedly that Haga wore a black t-shirt with a green butterfly silhouette, which she hadn't known about before he'd taken his jacket off. She was learning new things about him all the time, it seemed.

Then, Rebecca realized something: _Yuugi_ had never offered his coat for her. Sure, she'd never spilled ice cream on her own shirt around Yuugi, but that was the point. She and Yuugi had never really done anything in particular, without his friends around, to get to know each other. And yet Rebecca had supposedly "wanted to marry" him.

How could she want to marry him when she hardly knew him? It seemed so ridiculous, now that she thought about it. Then again, Yuugi was pretty much an open book. You could basically know him after one conversation. So simple and boring…But, he wasn't a bad guy. And neither was Haga, though the insect duelist was a little more complicated and coarse. But, he was interesting.

And he did have a very sweet side, even if he didn't show it much. He'd shown it to the forest inhabitants, and to Rebecca. That had to be worth something…

"Rebecca…You're spacing out again." Haga waved a hand in front of her eyes. "I've been talking for the past minute or so…"

"Oh! Sorry." Rebecca shook her head again, with a sigh.

"It's okay." Haga rested his chin in the palm of his hand. "So, what's on your mind?"

"Oh, uh, nothing."

Haga raised an eye brow at her and threw on a dead-pan expression as response.

"Well…" She sighed, having by now memorized Haga's body language for 'You're full of crap'. "I just didn't get much sleep last night."

"And…?" Haga persisted, knowing Rebecca pretty well after no less than four weeks of their discussions. She rarely ever got sleep, with her overactive imagination keeping her up. And yet she hardly ever spaced out the way she'd been doing all day.

"And…" Rebecca sighed, giving up on avoiding the subject. "I've been thinking about Yuugi." And about Haga, but she decided that would be too awkward-sounding to say out loud.

"Oh." Haga twitched, eyes narrowing. "What about him?" His tone had become rather bitter, and for good reason…

"Well," Rebecca looked at Haga. "Don't you think it's sort of weird that I haven't talked to him in so long, even though he's my friend?"

"Hmm…Perhaps." Haga admitted. "But then again, if you look at it this way, it's not as if he's made much effort to contact _you_. Has he?"

"Well, no." Rebecca shifted uneasily. "I guess he's been busy with his other friends…"

"So, he holds them priority over you?"

"No, he just…Well…" She shrugged. "They've been friends for longer, I guess. So, they hang out more."

"Oh? So, they have no room for other people to join their little _clique_?" Haga's tone was acidic and cynical. As much as he liked Rebecca, it was clear that he still couldn't stand Yuugi, Anzu, Jounouchi, and Honda.

"I don't want to join their clique." Rebecca blurted out before she could stop herself. She covered her mouth with her hands and spoke from behind them, "Oops."

"Ah," Haga smirked a bit, as if he realized something. "Yuugi's the only one you like, isn't he? Haha, I bet you can't _stand_ Anzu…"

"She's…okay." Rebecca sounded so insincere that she wouldn't have even been able to fool Yuugi Moutou. "But, maybe you're right. I think that's the problem, actually. I want to be friends with Yuugi, but otherwise I'm not really interested in his friends."

"Then, do you think maybe that's what Yuugi's problem has been lately?" Haga suggested solemnly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's been a month, Rebecca. And your grandfather knows I'm friends with you. Would it be unreasonable to think that maybe that little fact's managed to spread to Yuugi?" He pointed out. "And, if that were true, then…"

"Then, Yuugi hasn't visited me lately, because he doesn't want-"

"-to be around _me_. Exactly." Haga said with a shrug. "And frankly, I don't want to deal with him either. Unless he's up for a duel. In which case, I say bring it on. But, otherwise, I would rather see him dangling off the edge a cliff than at my door. That's just the way things are."

"You've been thinking about this, too." She could tell.

"I've only been thinking about it because I was pretty sure _you'd_ start thinking about it." Haga sighed.

"But, I want to be friends with both you _and_ Yuugi."

"And you _can_." Haga twitched at his own words. "It just means you'll have to spend a little less time with me, while you're off with Yuugi and his friends somewhere."

"But, I don't want to do that. I like hanging out with you like this every day." Rebecca pouted.

"Me, too." Haga replied. "But you can't hang around Yuugi and me at the same time. So, what are you going to do?" He stood up and pulled his chair over to sit closer to Rebecca.

"I don't know." The girl admitted, her lower lip trembling. She had her eyes focused on the ground and her hands balled up into fists on the table.

Immediately, guilt flashed through Haga's eyes. It was Rebecca's birthday, after all. She shouldn't have to feel like this on her special day, he realized. Tentatively, Haga reached forward and lightly touched Rebecca's hand.

"Er…ah…Rebecca." He waited for her to raise her head to look at him. She had tears in her eyes and he winced at the sight. "How about we just…forget about this, for today? It's your birthday…after all, I mean. And, well, you should enjoy it. So, cheer up, okay? Please?" He half-way muttered, his eyes flicking from hers to his feet as he tried to get the words out.

After a moment, Rebecca began to smile.

"You're right." She opened her hand and laced her fingers between his. His hand shook a bit in response, but he didn't pull away (possibly a little shocked). "Let's head to the forest and talk about this some other time, all right?"

Before he could answer, she'd already dragged him wordlessly out of his chair, out of the ice cream shop, and half-way to the forest. When they both slowed down and he finally did respond, it was a simple (and redundant considering the circumstances),

"…Sure, Rebecca."

The rest of the day, the two kids climbed trees and talked about books and their favorite websites. He enjoyed browser RPG games (he knew all the cheats) while she preferred online social forums. They both liked to read internet articles about strange events. Neither one could stand fan fiction.

Right after Rebecca got home, she realized that she'd forgotten to give Haga back his jacket. And he'd forgotten to remind her.

* * *

The day after her birthday, Rebecca left for Mr. Moutou's game shop. She'd made plans to visit Haga later, but there was something she had to do first.

"Hey, Yuugi, can I talk to you?" She hopped up to him. It was still fairly early in the morning – only eight o'clock or so. So, he hadn't gone off with his friends somewhere yet. It was her perfect chance.

"Sure, Rebecca, what is it?" He asked with a smile.

"I'm going somewhere today. Can I take you with me?"

"Ummm…" Yuugi blinked. "Well, sure, Rebecca. But, where-"

"Okay, great!" And, with that, she swiftly dragged him out of his grandpa's shop by the arm. "Bye, Mr. Moutou! It was nice seeing you!"

Yuugi said his quick, "Bye!" and found himself out of the shop before Mr. Moutou even had the chance to react. Clearly, he learned, Rebecca could be very forceful.

Blinking at their absence, Sugoroku Moutou couldn't help but chuckle.

"I wonder what that funny girl's up to…"

That funny girl knocked on the dark green door of a five-story mansion.

"Hey! It's me!" She called out through the door.

"Um…So, who are we visiting, Rebecca?" Yuugi asked a little nervously. He didn't know why, but he felt a little bit uneasy about this.

"A friend." Rebecca answered cryptically as she finished knocking.

After a minute or so, the door was answered by a smiling Haga. His smile quickly withered into a scowl as soon as he caught sight of his rival. The color drained from the King of Games' face.

"Oh…Hi, Haga." He laughed with a faint hint of panic in his tone. Haga did not speak to Yuugi. Instead, he turned to Rebecca.

"…I presume you forgot what I said about 'preferring to see Yuugi dangle on the edge of a cliff than at my doorstep'?" He spoke stiffly.

"I didn't forget." She assured him. "In fact, that's why I brought him here: I want you two to hold a truce. No more animosity between you two! The past is the past. Get over it."

Suddenly, everyone started speaking at once.

"There's no _way_ I'm going to-!"

"Um, Rebecca, I think it's a little too soon for-"

"-let _this_ guy into my house! No way!"

"-a truce to happen…"

"It was a stupid _card game tournament_, for the love of-"

"I'm a laughingstock!"

"He destroyed Grandpa's cards."

"Can't we just forget about Duel Monsters?"

"WHAT?" Both boys exclaimed simultaneously. And the conversation became orderly once again.

"Well," Rebecca sighed, standing between the two rivals. "It's just that, if it weren't for that stupid game and that stupid tournament, you two could be friends and all our problems would have never started in the first place!"

"Well, that might be all well and good if Duel Monsters never existed. But, it did. And the past _happened_, whether it's the past or not. We can't just forget about it." Haga stated. "And I am not holding a truce with him. I really don't see the purpose of-"

"Haga. Why have you been standing at the door so long?" called out a low, female, voice from somewhere inside the mansion. It sounded patient, but calculating. All conversation stopped. After a moment or so, a woman with aqua-marine hair and blue eyes behind sleek lenses stood in the doorway. She took one look at Yuugi before turning back to Haga. "Oh…So, that's why."

"Hi, Sis." Haga greeted, smiling weakly. His older sister had known about this rivalry for a while. After all, before Rebecca entered Haga's life, his older sister was the only one ever around to listen to the young entomologist vent his frustrations. Ryuzaki didn't count because, in the rants that _he_ heard, Haga only scratched the surface of the problem.

"Hello, Hotaru." Rebecca greeted cheerfully, having met Haga's sister a few times in the past month. "How are you?"

"Fairly well." Hotaru answered with a smile before turning back to Yuugi. "Now, Young Man, I suppose that you're Yuugi Moutou. Correct?"

"Ah, y-yes, Ma'am."

"Well then, why don't you come in?" She invited in a warm, composed, way. "I'm certain you've been standing outside for quite a while now."

"But," Haga's jaw dropped. "B-Big Sis, I don't-"

"I apologize for my little brother's impoliteness." Hotaru bent down low (she was six feet tall) and lightly wrapped her arms around Haga's shoulders, resting her chin on top of his head as she smiled at Yuugi. "He's a good boy, but he can be just a little too immature sometimes. You can forgive him, right?"

Haga muttered something to her about how _Yuugi_ should be asking for forgiveness, but Hotaru had no obvious reaction to it.

Yuugi just laughed nervously and Rebecca elbowed him in the ribs. So, he replied,

"Sure."

"All right. Then, I'll be back with some snacks and lemonade for you kids." And, with that, Hotaru walked back inside.

Haga turned to Yuugi after Hotaru was out of ear-shot. He held up a finger to make a point.

"After you step into my home, we do not speak to each other. We speak through Rebecca if we have to."

"Hey! Why do I have to be your telephone?"

"Why did you have to drag him to my house?"

"Good point."

"So, anyway, do we agree?"

Yuugi sighed in exasperation, but agreed. So, the three kids walked inside and closed the door behind them.

* * *

After sitting awkwardly around a coffee table eating Hotaru's rice ball snacks and sipping lemonade in the living room for fifteen long minutes, Rebecca finally spoke.

"So…How've you been, Yuugi? Haven't seen you in a while." Rebecca knew that Haga would see it for a pitiful attempt at small talk (which it was), but she hoped Yuugi wouldn't notice.

"I've been okay." He replied, trying in vain to ignore Haga's constant malicious glare.

And so ended that brief spike of conversation. After another five minutes of tenseness passed, Haga stood up.

"I'm bored." He announced to Rebecca before taking a step to leave the living room. But, Rebecca would have none of it.

"Oh, no you don't!" With one swift motion, she hopped up behind him and yanked him back down on to the couch. "You're not going anywhere until you apologize and accept Yuugi's apology in return…"

"Um," Yuugi smiled weakly. "Rebecca, I haven't apolo-"

Rebecca turned to him with sparks in her eyes.

"You. Are. _Going_ to apologize. That's the point." She told him, her voice sounding quiet and dangerous. She had clearly had enough. "Now, let's review everyone's faults just to make sure we know what you two are so angry about. Haga, you threw Yuugi's Exodia cards into the sea. Right?"

"Big friggin' deal. But, yes. Yes, I did."

"Those were my grandpa's cards!"

"Rebecca, please tell Yuugi to go tell his grandpa to buy him a _pony_ if losing five pieces of paper really made him feel so _sad_." He was speaking to Rebecca, but looking at Yuugi.

"Cut the attitude, Haga. We're trying to keep this civil." Rebecca had finally calmed down by now. But, then she blinked. Something about what Yuugi just said had salvaged a fragment from her memory. An important fragment. "Hey, Yuugi, mind reminding me how you became friends with Jounouchi and Honda?"

"…Um, Rebecca?" Haga gave her a questioning look, but she held a finger up to her lips in a "shush" signal. He sighed.

"Well…" Yuugi looked just as clueless as Haga felt, but did his best to do as Rebecca asked. "Jounouchi and Honda were, er, bullying me. As usual."

"Oh?" Rebecca quirked a brow. Haga sat forward on the couch. He certainly hadn't been expecting a reply like _that_. Yuugi's friendships had just always seemed to "perfect" to Haga – and to Rebecca as well, for that matter.

"Well, on that day, they were playing keep-away with my Millennium Puzzle." Yuugi continued. "And one of the fragments got thrown into the river by Jounouchi."

"And who gave you that Millennium Puzzle?" Rebecca asked.

"My…grandpa." Yuugi's eyes widened. He finally saw the parallels between the situations and waited for a response, but all that happened was that Rebecca and Haga stared at him with intent eyes. So, he continued. "Later that day, I found Jounouchi and Honda getting beaten up by a really big bully. So, I tried to help them. I got beat up. But, Jounouchi was thankful. So, he dived into the river and got the Millennium item piece back for me. And that's when we all became friends."

For a moment, Rebecca just gawked at Yuugi.

"…Okay. So…you forgave them for being mean to you and throwing something into the river. Right?"

Yuugi fidgeted nervously.

"Yes."

"So, if Haga were to apologize…"

"I won't apologize!"

"Up. Shut."

"Fine."

"As I was saying," Rebecca cleared her throat. "If Haga were to apologize to you for throwing the Exodia cards into the water, could you forgive him?"

Yuugi thought about it for a minute. "Yes, I think so."

Rebecca smiled brilliantly, sitting down next to Haga and wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"Well then, Haga?"

"Just because he's willing to forgive, that doesn't mean I'm willing to apologize." Haga stated harshly.

"Aww…But, Haga!" Rebecca sighed, turning back to Yuugi. "Oh, never mind. Let's just move on. Yuugi, you sought out Haga first in the Duelist Kingdom tournament and put your deck on the line in order to make sure he lost both his star chips at the end of the duel. You beat him, thereby knocking him out of the tournament in the first round. And you did this in order to take revenge for the cards that got thrown into the water. Oh. And you mocked, and laughed at, Haga during said duel. Right?"

"Er, well actually, I _did_ go after Haga first, but everything else…" He paused and looked over at Haga. Remembering the rules that had been established, he spoke to Rebecca. "Does he remember the _Orichalcos_ incident?"

"He does." Rebecca nodded.

Haga's jaw dropped as he immediately connected the dots without further information. And he spoke directly to Yuugi for the first time since the rules had been set.

"Woah, woah, woah, _wait a minute_!" Haga shook his head. "You're telling me that the one responsible for humiliating me, kicking me out of the tournament, and turning me into the laughingstock of Duel Monsters was actually the _Pharaoh_? And that you basically had nothing to do with that part?"

"Well, I wouldn't put it _that_ way, but…" Yuugi murmured thoughtfully. "I guess that's technically right."

"I don't believe it." Haga shook his head. "So…Why am I still angry at _you_?"

"That's right, Haga!" Rebecca laughed joyfully. "You don't have to be angry at Yuugi! It was the _Pharaoh_ who messed things up for you. You and Yuugi can be-"

"No, that's not what I meant." Haga turned to stare at Yuugi, eyes flickering with emotion. "Even though I know that I shouldn't be…I _still_ feel angry at you. Right now. Why is that?"

"Um…"

"Maybe, it's because I feel like all the rage I've felt should be used for something! It should have some meaning." He seemed to be having a hard time putting his thoughts into words. "I feel like I shouldn't just _let it go_, or else it would have all been pointless!"

Rebecca frowned.

"Haga…"

"Oh…I think I get it." Yuugi sighed. "Now, you don't know where to direct those old energies. Especially since now the Pharaoh's gone."

Haga blinked

"The Pharaoh's gone?"

"Oh, boy." Rebecca groaned.

"Then what the hell am I supposed to-?" Haga stopped mid-sentence. In a shot of emotion, he stood up and pointed at Yuugi. "Duel me. Now."

Rebecca slid a hand down her face.

"There goes the 'talking out our problems' idea."

"Um, Haga, don't you think this is a little bit sudden?"

"What? You don't have your duel disk with you? It's fine. My sister works for Kaiba. She's got a few spares lying around. And I know you carry your deck everywhere you go." He and Ryuzaki had stolen his backpack (with the intention of stealing his deck) once, after all.

"That's not the problem. It's just…"

"What? Spit it out."

"I don't see why we have to duel right now."

"Nobody has to do anything here. But, I want to duel you. If you don't want to right now, then set a time. Or set a different place, if that's your issue. I don't mind. If you just don't want _ever_ duel me, then at least tell me why." Haga had lost about eighty-percent of the emotion in his voice. He was speaking cold business.

"Fine, then." Yuugi sighed, standing up. "I do have my own duel disk, though. Is there a wide open space we can use?"

"There's the ballroom." Haga answered. "Nobody ever uses it for anything, and there's plenty of space there."

"Oh, what have I _done_?" Rebecca rubbed her forehead as she stood up.

* * *

"Just a question before we duel, Haga." He and his opponent were standing across from each other in an ornate, gold-lined ballroom with green walls. Tables were overturned and bunched up in corners with green silk table cloths. A fantastic golden chandelier, with all its fifty candle holders empty, hung above at the center of the ceiling. About twenty-five feet below that, the floor was decorated with what could only be described as an eight-pointed star. Dust coated it all.

Rebecca stood off to the side, waiting in dread for the duel to begin.

"Go ahead." The insect duelist replied.

"Why are you so determined to beat me now, more than ever?"

"Because, all that time, I'd thought that I'd gotten my ass handed to me by some rookie who popped out of the woodworks." Haga replied. "Knowing that I got beat by a thousand year-old spirit with years of experience, who – I'm guessing – practically kept control of his own kingdom with Duel Monsters, I don't feel so bad about it. Especially since I got so close to beating him. Twice. However, he's still your past life. Right?"

Yuugi nodded.

"Well, then you've got to have _some_ of his skills. I just want to see if I can beat you – the King of Games – in a fair duel, with no Pharaoh and no Duelist Kingdom rules in the mix. No Orichalcos, no stakes. That's all."

"All right, then. Let's duel." Yuugi placed his deck in the slot on his duel disk while Haga did the same.

"Indeed. Your move…Oh, and please don't tell me that you're going to start blabbing on about honor and the Heart of the Cards and all that crap the way the Pharaoh did. No lecturing me about anything else, either. If you do, I'm going to take this duel disk and throw it straight at that spiky space above your shoulders." Haga grinned dangerously. "You have been duly warned."

Yuugi smiled somewhat nervously.

"A-All right." He really didn't know whether Haga was being serious about this threat or not. But, it was really better to be careful. He drew a card and prepared his strategy.

* * *

A/N: Thank you for reading. :)


	3. Your Thoughtless Words 2nd Part

A/N: Since a few people actually do like this little story, I may continue writing beyond this chapter. In which case, the chapters will be written in a "story arc" fashion. Just to clarify, the arc you are currently reading is "Your Thoughtless Words" and this is the second part. ^^

The usual disclaimers apply.

* * *

"I should have known that this would happen." Hotaru sighed as she stepped into the (until now) unused ballroom.

"I had hoped to avoid this." Rebecca mumbled. "Still, I guess this is the only way to solve everything. One final duel with nothing but pride on the line…"

"Sounds pretty epic." Hotaru commented off-handedly. "So, how long have they been at it?"

"I'd say half an hour – with no sign of stopping."

"_Oh_, boy…" Hotaru shook her head. This was going to take a while.

"I summon _Blazewing Butterfly_ in attack mode. Then, I'll play the field effect card: _Forest_. This increases all insect monsters' attack and defense points by 200, which will allow my _Jirai Gumo,_ already equipped with a _Laser Cannon Armor_, to destroy your _Summoned Skull_!" Though he never bothered to say it out loud in a duel, Haga couldn't help but find it irritating that Pegasus would have the gall to call a _spider_ an "insect type" monster. That was like grouping a lion under "_gazelle_ type", really. Predator and prey do not usually mix.

Nevertheless, Haga couldn't complain: Grouping all these monsters under "Insect Type" allowed for nice, flexible, strategy.

"Haga's updated his deck a little, I think." Hotaru noted casually.

"I don't think so." Yuugi said in response to Haga's actions (not Hotaru's) and then flipped over a card. "I activate a trap card: _Armored Glass_. It negates the effects of all equipment magic cards for the turn it's activated."

"So has Yuugi." Rebecca replied, nodding.

Haga's monster tried to attack, but was deflected. It returned to its place on Haga's side of the field and he lost 100 life points. The boy, as he had for most of the game, maintained a state of intense calm as he and Yuugi continued their duel. Normally, he would have been playing "The Ham" this whole time – speaking of his powerful monsters, building suspense, laughing and snickering, suggesting that his opponent just give up, taunting, and doing everything to try and seem bigger than he actually was.

But not this duel. He would not underestimate his opponent and would even pay him proper respect. After all, this was not the Pharaoh. Not the one that Haga had done everything in his power to mentally torture while under the influence of the _Orichalcos_. Perhaps, Haga had gone over the top with some of his actions during that duel, of course. That _last_ joke had been particularly cruel, even for Haga. Had he been in the Pharaoh's place, with Rebecca in Yuugi's, the insect duelist had to admit to himself that he probably would have gone off the deep end as well.

Even still, no matter how extreme Haga's abuse may have become, it was always partially motivated by the treatment he had received during his first duel with the Pharaoh. By the end of that incident, Haga had been more than just beaten – ridiculed, laughed at, insulted, vocally _dissected_, labeled "weak", and without even feeling as if he had been taken seriously at all. This, despite the _praise and compliments _Haga had practically rained down on the guy from their first meeting, until the end of the subsequent game. Heck, the destruction of Exodia had practically been a compliment in and of _itself_! It was like saying, "I can't beat your monster with strategy. So, I'm going to reduce myself to this just for the chance to beat you." Haga had tried (and oh, _had_ he! He would _never_ make up those lost hours of sleep) to find a way to defeat Exodia "by the book" with strategy. But Exodia was called "Unstoppable" for a reason.

With a "Win by Any Means" attitude inspired by his older sister, Haga had done what he'd felt he had to do. It was just Yuugi's fault for letting a stranger handle his most important cards.

After all, tossing five pieces of paper into the water was a rotten thing to do, but did it really deserve such outright degradation for an opponent so clearly skilled? Others might have disagreed, but Haga thought he still deserved some form of respect. While under the Orichalcos' twisted influence, the boy really just wanted to give the Pharaoh a piece of his own mind-screwing. It back-fired, of course, and Haga ended up regretting it later.

Yuugi had not been in control of that squall of verbal abuse during the first duel, the insect duelist now realized. No. Not this polite, unassuming, guy. Therefore, Haga would give him due respect during this duel.

So long as he was treated the same way.

The standings read thus far:

Haga – 2400/4000, Yuugi – 2200/4000. Haga had a lead, but it was narrow.

"I have never liked Duel Monsters." Hotaru spoke quietly as she watched the duel with dull eyes.

"Hm?" Rebecca looked up and blinked questioningly.

"Too boring and convoluted for me." Hotaru responded with a shrug. "Plus, the circumstances aren't really equal for each player. Differing cards, for one thing. And different levels of access to those cards."

"Yeah…" Rebecca had to agree on that issue. Yuugi's grandpa owned a card shop and Kaiba owned a Duel Monsters technology company. This put them at significant advantages over everyone else, even though no one could deny that cards alone weren't what made them great.

"Too much luck is involved as well. Luck of the draw, luck of the _dice roll_," she continued, recalling a particular duel Haga had described – or rather ranted – to her at length. "Not to mention how seriously people seem to take this game in particular. I prefer chess."

"Actually, so do I," she admitted. Chess was a lot more mentally stimulating, with much less hype built up around it. That hype, after all, was part of what ultimately caused her dear friend Haga to become so upset…

"You seem pretty down, Rebecca," Hotaru commented, tilting her head to the side. "The intensity getting to you, hm?"

"I…I don't know who to cheer for," Rebecca whispered with wide eyes. "Yuugi is my friend, but so is Haga."

"If you _do_ cheer, then cheer for Haga," Hotaru spoke evenly, the abruptness of this order (or suggestion? It was sometimes difficult to tell with her) causing Rebecca to look up at her in shock as the blue-haired woman continued, "No one else does. No one he knows, at least." Not that she would cheer. Hotaru was not really the "cheering" type…

Leaving that final thought for Rebecca's contemplation, Hotaru left the ballroom as quietly as she had entered.

_Haga…_ Rebecca thought, feeling her throat tighten at Hotaru's reminder. _He was always alone. Now, he has me. But, now Yuugi's alone as well. What should I do?_

Not that her decision was exactly pertinent. In fact, it almost felt as if her very presence, along with Hotaru's, had been ignored the entire time.

Twenty minutes passed and the standings had shifted slightly:

* * *

Yuugi – 1400/4000, Haga – 1100/4000

Still pretty narrow, but a direct attack from any of the powerful monsters on the field could prove fatal for either of them.

The fact that Haga had been treating Yuugi with respect during this duel didn't mean that either duelist had been holding back in any way. On the contrary, both were attempting to royally tear each other to pieces without any sign of mercy. Haga had never been more focused, or more determined. In fact, he'd already managed to summon his _Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth_. It had killed off a few of Yuugi's monsters before, along with the field spell, getting destroyed by Yuugi's _Black Hole_, which had really been a close call. That had been a remarkably powerful monster, with 3500 attack points.

One more turn and Yuugi would have lost his life points. Haga's deadly combination: _DNA Surgery_ (which turned all monsters into a sub type of whatever Haga chose – and he'd chosen insect type) and _Insect Barrier_ were now in play. Yuugi had not been able to attack since the previous turn and Haga had been careful not to give him a chance to do so.

Likewise, Yuugi felt the need to defeat the insect duelist as well. This was a chance for Yuugi to prove himself – to prove that he was just as capable of beating Haga as the Pharaoh had been. It was time for him to prove that _he_, not just the Pharaoh, deserved the title of "King of Games". If he lost, then it would prove he had just been hiding behind the Pharaoh the whole time. What had started as reluctance in Yuugi's attitude had become a strong urge to win.

Two of the best duelists in the world were pulling out all the stops, letting loose volley after volley of strategies and counter-strategies to bring each other down.

With honor and dignity.

"I tribute my _Blazewing Butterfly_," which he had brought back from the graveyard the previous turn. "To summon _Grasschopper _in attack mode. His special ability allows him to attack every one of your monsters once each. And since none of them are as powerful…"

This particularly powerful monster (Attack Points: 2350) attacked and destroyed both monsters on Yuugi's field with a grand total of 350 life points lost.

"I'll place one card face down. With that," Yuugi had no more monsters on his side of the field. "I end my turn."

The duel was going so slowly, since both of them had been pretty cautious at times. Rebecca was actually starting to get worried. If they kept this up, someone was going to run out of cards.

This meant the end for Yuugi, whose deck was made up of assorted magic, trap, and monster cards. Normally, this would have been a nicely balanced deck. However, when it came to card conservation, it was quite inferior to Haga's deck – which was made up almost entirely of insects with special abilities, with just a few spells and traps added in. While Yuugi would have to play a monster and a few spell or trap cards to feel safe for a turn, Haga could play a single monster that could act with effects similar to traps _or_ magic. He therefore didn't need to play as many cards per turn as one had to with a deck full of mostly regular monsters.

The result? Yuugi's deck was dwindling down to about ten cards, while Haga's was still about half-way full. And all three duelists in the room had noticed this.

"Please choose your next move carefully, Yuugi." Haga cautioned as he waited for his opponent to continue the game. His words had a deeper meaning. Yuugi couldn't afford to waste a single monster. And the _last_ thing Haga wanted was for this to end on a "Win by _Default_."

Yuugi nodded with no words to reply with as he gingerly drew a card. It was _Kuriboh_. That would save him for the next turn, but after that…

The duel continued with a good spell card destroying the _Insect Barrier_ and a few attacks being launched. The _Grasschopper_ remained on the field and Haga and Yuugi reduced each other's life points further:

Haga – 800, Yuugi – 500

Five cards remained in Yuugi's deck, three practically useless ones (for the situation) in his hand. There he was, on the brink of defeat. Defeat by deck depletion perhaps, but defeat. Haga had proven to be a fantastic opponent in his prime, with judgment un-clouded by over-confidence, vengeful rage, or any other distractions. Pure willpower and lucidity of thought. This was indeed a "Haga" that the Pharaoh had never gotten the chance to face, let alone without friends cheering by his side.

Which brought up another issue that Yuugi couldn't help but think about: This was what it felt like to face an opponent in a duel completely alone. Anzu, Jounouchi, and Honda were not here – they didn't even know that this duel was happening. The Pharaoh was gone. Not just tucked away from Yuugi's reach, but _gone_. His opponent was indeed skilled. The one friend that Yuugi had in the room was noticeably silent and he couldn't blame her – Haga was her friend as well, after all. It must have been very conflicting for her. Silence had to have been the best option in her eyes.

It occurred to the King of Games at that moment that, every time Haga had had duels with the Pharaoh, or anyone else, the insect duelist had _always_ been alone. Far as Yuugi knew, at least. No friends there to urge him on, to keep him strong and raise him up when he fell. If Yuugi was correct in thinking that Rebecca had been his first friend, Haga had never even had any friendship in his _heart_ to keep him going. Even now, in this difficult duel, Yuugi at least knew that his friends were always with him whether he could see them or not.

Haga? He had never had any of that. All alone, except maybe his sister. But, even _she_ didn't even seem too interested in this game. Every last duel and tournament, that guy battled it out by himself. No _wonder_ he felt so desperate to win when it came to the most difficult duels, even cheating. With no one to support him, how could he even come to rely on his own skills? What was more, how could he suffer defeat at the hands of other duelists over and _over_ again, and then just keep _getting back up _on his own? Really, after forfeiting against Kaiba in Duelist Kingdom, Yuugi and the Pharaoh had been put into such a slump that they would have just given up had it not been for Anzu and their other friends. But Haga practically seemed to bounce straight back to challenge the best duelists whenever he got the chance.

Where in the _world_ did he find all that strength?

"I play Armageddon Knight in attack mode. His special ability allows me to place one 'dark' elemental monster from my deck in the graveyard." Yuugi searched through his deck to do so, choosing his _Dark Magician_. This move also gave him the chance to see what cards he had left to rely on. Unfortunately, most of his best cards had been used during the middle of the most intense part of their duel. He had been left with very few options. But, he would do what he could with what he had. "And now my _Armageddon Knight_ will attack your face down monster on the right side of the field!" It was something he had to do. After all, the _Grasschopper_ was too powerful for Yuugi to beat with what he had on the field and, if he didn't start to whittle down Haga's three monsters on the field at some point, he would surely be overwhelmed in the long run…

"You've just destroyed my _Pinch Hopper_." Haga grinned. "That allows me to summon one insect type monster from my hand."

"Oh, _no_." Yuugi's eyes widened. This could _not_ be good.

"And now, I summon the _Insect Queen_ in attack mode." Haga's potentially most powerful monster appeared on the field. Thanks to there being two insect type monsters on the field (including Yuugi's monster affected by DNA Surgery), the Insect Queen's attack points rose to 2600. "Finish your turn."

Yuugi did so, placing one card face down.

"Now," Haga drew a card. He had nine cards left in his deck. Therefore, he would be careful to give Yuugi no more chances for victory. "First of all, I flip over my last facedown monster: _Swarm of Locusts_. When flip summoned, they allow me to destroy one trap or spell card on your field. And, since you only have one…"

Yuugi's trap card was destroyed. He felt sweat drip down his forehead. That had been one of his last hopes of winning.

"For my Insect Queen to attack, I must sacrifice one insect type monster on the field. So, she will devour my _Grasschopper_, allowing her to attack and destroy your _Armageddon Knight_, reducing your life points to zero!"

"Not quite, Haga. I play the equipment card: _Amulet of Ambition_! And I equip it to my _Armageddon Knight_, increasing his attack points by 500 times the difference of levels between your attacking monster and my defending one…"

"Which means," Haga did the math and grit his teeth. "A 1500 attack point bonus?"

"That's right. And that makes my monster's attack points 2900 for this battle!"

Haga's _Insect Queen's_ attack was deflected and her master lost 300 life points as a result.

They were now equal in life points: 500, each.

"Well then," Haga seemed fairly irked, but was doing his best at keeping his anger under control. "I'll place one card face down, and end my turn. Your move."

It struck Rebecca, as she watched, that these two were both absolutely magnificent. The justly named King of Games was up against the most underrated duelist in the history of the game. They were both such excellent strategists and, yet, Haga received comparatively no credit for this. _Just because_ he had lost to the King of Games and his runner-up (mostly by dumb luck), as just about everyone else did.

That didn't seem fair at all, to Rebecca.

"All right." Yuugi drew from his deck, which now contained no more than three cards. A bit of confidence showed in his eyes from what he'd drawn. "First, I'll play _Monster Reborn_ and bring my Dark Magician to the field."

"Wait! You never-" Haga blinked confusedly, and then frowned. "_Oh_."

"That's right. That was the card I sent to my graveyard by using my _Armageddon Knight's_ special ability." Yuugi's _Dark Magician_ appeared, outmatched by the _Insect Queen_, but still powerful. Haga's Queen, meanwhile, had her attack points raised to 2800 when _DNA Surgery_ turned the _Dark Magician_ into an insect type. "And now, my _Dark Magician_ will attack your _Swarm of Locusts_, ending this duel!"

"No." Haga flipped over his face down monster to reveal _Desert Protector_. "If an insect monster of mine would be destroyed, then this monster is destroyed instead. And, since it's in defense mode, I lose no life points."

The _Desert Protector_ intercepted _Dark Magician's_ attack, and was destroyed.

"Now, continue." Haga said.

"Then, in that case, I'll have my _Armageddon Knight_ attack and destroy your _Swarm of Locusts_." The _Swarm_ was destroyed and Haga lost 400 life points while the _Insect Queen's_ attack points were reduced to 2600 once again. "I'll switch _Armageddon Knight_ to defense mode. And that will end my turn." Yuugi sighed. This next one was going to be brutal, with Haga's _Queen_ still ruling stronger than the _Magician_.

The standings:

Yuugi – 500, Haga – 100

Haga could not afford to lose even one more monster to battle.

"Now," He drew a card. "I will play _Leghul _face up in attack mode. Then, I'll have him use his special ability to attack your life points directly." Yuugi's life points were reduced to 200. "And now, I will sacrifice _Leghul_ to allow my _Insect Queen _to destroy your _Dark Magician_!"

_Dark Magician_ was indeed destroyed, leaving Yuugi with his Armageddon Knight and 100 life points. They were now equal.

His Queen, having destroyed a monster this turn, laid an egg that allowed her attack points to remain at 2600. "Now, I'll place that egg in defense mode." He had learned his lesson, in his duel with Jounouchi, not to leave those things defenseless, lest he lose a huge amount of life points. "With that, I place one card face down and end my turn." Haga now had seven cards in his deck and two in his hand.

Yuugi, on the other hand, drew a card and only had two cards left in his deck afterwards. The turn after this would be his last and he would have to make everything he did from now on count. What he had in mind would take a bit of finesse…

"Keeping my _Armageddon Knight_ in Defense mode, I'll summon _Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress_." It wasn't a very powerful monster, but then again, that would come in handy… "And I'll use that monster to attack your _Insect Queen's_ egg!" The egg was destroyed and the Insect Queen's attack points, which had previously been increased by the addition of Yuugi's Winged Dragon, went back down to 2600. "With that, I place one card face down and end my turn."

"Very well." Haga drew a card. "Then, I'll summon_ Shield Worm_. And I will sacrifice him to have my _Insect Queen_ attack your _Winged_…er…actually, _no_." Haga blinked and shook his head, as if realizing something. "This is…_weird_."

Yuugi tried to keep all emotion out of his face as he asked, "What is it, Haga?"

"That's, that's what you would _want_ me to do, right?" Haga's eyes narrowed, not in anger, but rather in scrutiny. "You put up such a weak monster, had him attack a target that wouldn't help you at all, and then put a card face down right afterwards. Now, why would you _do_ that?"

Rebecca listened pensively to his words. He _did_ have a point.

Yuugi remained silent.

"And, what's more, why did you _have to say_, 'Keeping my Armageddon Knight in Defense mode'? It was like you were purposefully _reminding_ me of that. You expect me to go for the kill." Which he certainly would have done, were he in as much of a blood-thirsty rage as he had been during his second duel with the Pharaoh. "If I attacked a monster in defense mode, your life points would be okay by the end of it. But, you _don't _want me to do that!" Haga smirked. "Which means that you've got a trap card on the field right now and, my bet, it's going to cause me some problems if I attack the monster you _want_ me to." But, then the boy blinked and rubbed the back of his neck uncertainly. "Or maybe you're just _expecting_ me to think that way so that I'll attack the monster that I _think_ you don't want me to attack, but that you actually _do_ want me to attack. Eh. Tough choice, now that I think about it."

It took everything in Yuugi's power to keep from smiling. This had been a nice duel.

"So, I won't attack your _Winged Dragon_." Haga continued with a shrug. Yuugi managed not to let out a sigh of relief, which he would have choked on at what Haga next said, "Not that I need to, in order to beat you right now."

"What?" Yuugi frowned.

"Insect cards are fascinating, aren't they, Yuugi? You have to admit it." Haga grinned in his usual devious way. "All the special abilities…There are practically endless possibilities! Perfect for a strategist like me. And no insect card is useless either. I can draw any five cards and develop a strategy just by looking at them. Every insect has a special use, a role to play. Like my _Shield Worm_, for example…A plain summoning method and only 800 attack points. However, his special ability allows him to send _one card from the top of my opponent's deck to the graveyard for each face-up insect on my side of the field_."

Yuugi did not respond. His thoughts could not seem to organize themselves in some coherent sentence.

"I have two insects on my field, Yuugi. You have two cards in your deck."

And, like that, it was over.

* * *

"Well, _finally_!" Hotaru shook her head once Rebecca told her the news ten minutes later. "I thought that duel would never end."

"It took a really long time." Rebecca nodded. "And you know…Don't tell them this, but I'm really glad that Haga won. I just don't want to tell them, because I'm worried about what Yuugi will think."

"That's understandable." Hotaru nodded. "It's also understandable that you would be glad about Haga's victory. Now that he's won, maybe he'll be in a better mood. Happy enough to apologize, you think?"

"I hope so!"

"So, what are those two doing now?"

"I don't know. We all sat around in the living room after the duel. The two wouldn't talk much. So, I decided to leave them alone for a little bit. I have to admit, I wonder what's going through their heads right now."

"Who knows?" Hotaru shrugged, though she had a few ideas herself.

"Well, at least Haga wasn't glaring at Yuugi when I last saw them."

"That's a good sign. It means that he's probably just thinking."

"I wonder what he's thinking about."

"Rebecca," Hotaru chuckled. "it's _Haga_. That guy's head is as tight as a locked safe. Everyone is great at making judgments and observations about that safe, but no one can really open it."

"Hmm…Really? What about you?" Rebecca tilted her head to the side.

"I've gotten pretty close," Hotaru admitted. "Broken most of the locks. But, to be honest, I don't think that guy is even going to open up fully to his _wife_."

"_Wife?_" Rebecca went bug-eyed.

"_If_ he marries, of course." Hotaru grinned in a way eerily similar to Haga. "Not that he's ever been on a date. At least…" She quirked a brow at Rebecca. "not an _official_ one…"

"What are you getting at?" Rebecca asked, her face turning pink. She knew _exactly_ what Hotaru was getting at.

"Oh, nothing." Hotaru waved it away. "So, are you excited about college?"

"Haga told you, huh?" Rebecca smiled, happy for the change of subject. "Yeah! I am. I can't wait."

"You don't sound too happy." The elder Insector sighed. "Are you sure you're ready?"

"Er…huh?" Rebecca blinked.

"Well, Rebecca," Hotaru knelt down to see her at eye level. "You're extremely intelligent and studious, but awfully young for someone heading to college. Haga told me that you turned thirteen just yesterday. Are you sure you don't want to just…_wait_ a little?"

"But, why would I want to do that?" Rebecca asked. "It's great to go to college so early! It means I'm going to be able to start working that much sooner." She spoke the words as she'd heard them said by a high school guidance counselor. She didn't quite understand why, but Hotaru bit her lip and her eyes seemed to widen.

"Rebecca, when did you first start going to high school?"

"About four years ago." When she was nine years old.

"How did it feel?"

"Really scary," Rebecca admitted after some thought. "Everyone was so tall and intimidating. I didn't feel like I belonged at all…but I eventually got used it." That, of course, wasn't to say that she'd made any lasting friends. Some people were really nice to her, but they still tended to treat her like a child. Others just made fun of her. That was okay, though. Because, as long as Rebecca did the other kids' homework, they stayed around and she was never really lonely…

"I think that you should think about this decision a little more." Hotaru smiled weakly, resting a hand on Rebecca's shoulder. "It's your life, but you _are_ still a kid. And that's a great thing! Do you _really_ want to rush through your years like they're a race track?"

"But…" Rebecca shifted nervously. "Isn't Haga heading off to college this year?"

"Yes." Hotaru nodded. "But, guess what – he technically could have gone _last_ year."

"So, he waited?" Rebecca blinked. He hadn't told her that.

"Exactly." Hotaru laughed. "That was why he was able to head off to fifty or so tournaments, run around in forests, take a plane to the U.S., take a plane back, and do whatever he wanted for such a long time!"

"Wow…I could do that?" she asked with enlightened eyes. "I'll think about it, then."

"You should." Hotaru stood up. "College is tough. Even Haga's not so confident about it. Feel free to talk to him if you feel you need to. I think he'd be glad to get a few things off of his chest about it."

"Thanks, Hotaru! You've been really helpful." Rebecca brightened up.

"No problem." Hotaru gave her a pat on the head. Rebecca didn't mind. She'd seen Hotaru pat Haga on the head as well. So, she wasn't just reserving the "kiddie" treatment for Rebecca. "Just don't forget that it's your life to live. Don't let schools play pinball with it, hm?"

"Of course." Rebecca laughed. "I'm going to go see how Haga and Yuugi are doing. It was nice talking to you!"

"You too, Rebecca. You're Haga's friend, which makes you my friend."

Hotaru didn't have too many friends.

* * *

Thank you for reading! This was originally meant to be longer, but I noticed that it was getting too long. So, I'm putting the rest in the chapter after this one.

As for the duel, I know that readers may have their doubts about the outcome. But Haga really is an underrated duelist. He came so close to beating the Pharaoh in the couple of times they dueled – even when his game was thrown off by overconfidence and rotten luck. This did not come out of nowhere.

If the outcome of the duel really bothers anyone that much, I would encourage you to message me with questions. I will be happy to explain my thought process behind the game.

Happy reading!


	4. Your Thoughtless Words 3rd Part

A/N: Here is the rest of the chapter. This in itself is pretty long, but it had to be. There was a lot to write for this. It is at the very least the final part of the Your Thoughtless Words arc.

It may be the last of the story itself, but I haven't decided about that yet.

The usual disclaimers apply.

* * *

After Rebecca left the room, Yuugi and Haga remained silent for at least three minutes. Eventually, it felt unbearable and Yuugi had to speak.

"That was a good duel, Haga."

"…Yeah," Haga muttered, standing up and taking a few steps to leave.

"Er, wait!"

Haga turned his head slightly, one eye brow raised.

"What?"

"I wanted…to apologize for what the Pharaoh-" Before he could finish, Haga held up a hand and shook his head.

"Don't." He sighed. "You did none of the speaking during my first duel with the Pharaoh. And it was _his_ choice to actually send me out of the tournament. I know that, now. You've got nothing to apologize for. I _get it_. Now, leave me alone."

"Hold on, Haga – don't you want to talk about this?" Yuugi started speaking quickly as Haga continued to walk away. "What about _Rebecca_?" Those words stopped Haga mid-step.

"_Yes?_" Yuugi had his attention.

"Well, you know she _really_ wants us to get along…"

With a heavy sigh, Haga walked back and sat down on the couch across from Yuugi.

"I know. Got any ideas for how that could work?"

"Well…we could become friends."

"Not a chance."

"Or…we could at least _tolerate_ each other?"

"I'm listening." Haga said after thinking about it a little.

"That way, she can hang out with both of us. But…it won't be like you and I are hanging out. Because we won't be talking to each other. We'll just be talking with her."

"You know that's going to be awkward for her, don't you?"

"Do you have any better ideas?"

"No."

"Then, what should we do?"

"I haven't the slightest idea. But, in case you haven't noticed, Yuugi, that's not the _only_ problem."

"What's the _other_ problem then?"

"The fact that Rebecca really isn't interested in hanging out with your friends."

"What?" Yuugi blinked, surprised.

"So, you _haven't_ noticed. Jeez, are _you_ dense."

"Hey! It's just that _I_ haven't been spending every day with Rebecca for the past month!" Yuugi tried to laugh, but it dwindled into a pathetic, nervous chuckle when Yuugi noticed that Haga had remained stone-faced. Quite a difference in senses of humor these two had. He decided to get to the point. "Well, you probably know her a lot better than I do at this time, Haga."

"Hm. So, on that, we agree. In any case, Rebecca is really only interested in talking to _you_, Yuugi. You and me. That's one of the reasons she hasn't bothered to visit you lately. She's had two choices, the way she saw it: Hang out with you and a few other people she didn't like, or spend time with me. Do you get the situation here?"

"I understand." Rebecca preferred to have one-on-one time with someone she liked over spending time with her friend and a bunch of people she really didn't care much for.

"And well, to be honest, even if I think that I _can_ learn to tolerate you…" Haga admitted with a sigh. "Your friends? Yeah. They piss me off. Especially Jounouchi. Anzu, too. No offence."

"None taken." Anzu and Jounouchi had never been nice to Haga. Sure, they might have had good reason to be mean. But, Haga also had good reason to feel at least a little hurt by it nonetheless.

"Plus, I think that that other friend of yours-"

"Honda."

"…Okay. I think that Honda would throw me as soon as look at me at this point."

"…You might be right."

"I can't deal with them, Yuugi. And Rebecca isn't too keen on doing so either," Haga stated. "So, if we were to work out some sort of weird arrangement where both of us could hang out with Rebecca at the same time, you'd have to spend a little less time with your other friends."

"I…I understand." Yuugi sighed. Haga was making a lot of sense with this issue. "…By the way, Haga, what's your favorite card?"

"Eh?" Haga quirked a brow at this strange change of subject. However, it seemed innocent enough. And it would give him time to think up a solution for their problem. So he replied, "I don't have a favorite, Yuugi."

"Huh?" Yuugi looked surprised. "Really?"

"I like all my cards equally. Every _Gokibore_ and _Insect Knight_. What? Is that weird, or something?"

"Well, it's just that you seemed to favor your _Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth_ and _Insect Queen_…"

"They're powerful." Haga shrugged. "So, I like to play them a lot. And it's fun to see the looks on my opponents' faces when such giant monsters show up. That doesn't mean that I _like_ them more than I like, oh say, borderline cards like _Basic Insect_ and _Killer Needle_."

"Hm. How come?"

"Well," Haga grinned, losing a lot of his coldness. "That's because they're my _army_! They're all fighting for me. So to speak. And that makes them _all_ really great, in my eyes. Even if it's a little more fun to bring the most powerful ones on to the field. Plus, I love insects. So, I admire every one of them just for being an insect. Or an arachnid. They're all cool, to me at least. I can't pick a favorite." Sure, he could throw _Gokibore_ cards away, but there was usually some reason for it. Even if that reason was the influence of an evil cult. And Haga would still _like_ the _Gokibore_ card till the end of its existence.

"Wow." Yuugi smiled. "That's…actually really cool."

"You think?" Haga grinned, but then the grin cracked when he realized who he was speaking to. "Oh, no, you don't! I am _not_ going to fall for that crap."

"What are you talking about, Haga?"

"You're trying to manipulate me into becoming friends with you. Well, let me tell you it is _not_ going to work!"

"Manipulate…" Yuugi echoed with his brows raised.

"I do not associate with rivals…"

"But you just beat me! Fair and square!"

"Well, yes…" Haga admitted, smiling slightly to himself. "But you still almost kicked my ass! We are _still_ rivals."

"Rivals, huh?" Yuugi sighed. Then, he started to wonder about something. "How did you and Rebecca become friends, anyway?"

"Why do you want to know?" Haga's eyes narrowed.

"I'm just curious." Yuugi shrugged. "And she's my friend too. So…"

"Right, right." Haga sighed. Yuugi had a good point. "Well, I was climbing through trees in the forest when I saw some blonde girl digging up tree roots. I followed her around for a while…"

"You _stalked_ her?" Yuugi's eyes widened.

"OF COURSE." Haga practically exploded. "She was digging up tree roots, er, 'excavating' in my forest for crying out loud! That is _not_ something I allow."

"_Your_ forest?" Yuugi looked at him quizzically.

"…Well, it might as well be. I spend half my time protecting it." Haga stated, and Yuugi couldn't exactly feel surprised. "Anyway, I was hoping that she'd stop quickly. But, she just kept on digging in random places. So, I decided to give her a piece of my mind. That was all. So, I confronted her and told her to leave the forest."

"Well, that's not very n-"

"Neither was hurting those poor trees." He interrupted. "I had to re-bury their roots a few days later! But, in any case, she refused at first. So stubborn, you know? I intimidated her a little…"

"_Intimidated?_" Yuugi blinked.

"YES. I pinned her to a tree because I am easily angered and over-protective of my second home." By which he meant the forest. "Now, stop interrupting! I let her go after a second, anyway. And she agreed to leave. Probably because I scared her speechless. But, I guess I got a little worried that she wouldn't be able to find her way out. That forest is pretty deep, you know. I really just wanted her out of my forest and I was worried that, without help, she'd be there forever."

"So, you helped her?" Yuugi smiled.

"Yes. And, on the way out, I got bored of the silence. So, I started talking. She talked. We talked. She liked me. I thought she seemed okay. She said she wanted to be friends with me. I warned her not to try and change me. She thought that was fine. We became friends. I walked her home. She gave me her e-mail. I went home." He rushed the rest of it out. "And we were buddies ever after. The End."

"Well, I guess that's not quite as weird as how I became friends with Jounouchi and Honda." Yuugi chuckled.

"Yeah. About that – why the _hell_ did you decide to try and protect those two from someone even bigger than they were? After they'd been bullying you, I mean…" Haga wore a dead-pan expression, but he was obviously a little curious.

"Er…I don't really know." Yuugi smiled weakly. "I guess I just didn't actually think about how they'd bullied me. When I saw them getting hurt, I felt like someone had to step in. That's all. And then they turned out to be nice guys."

"If I were you, I would have just let the two get whatever was coming to them. I can't _stand_ bullies…" He shook his head. "But, eh, I guess it's true. You really _are_ pure-bred goody-goody two-shoes. So different from that jerk-ass Pharaoh."

"Hey! You're one to talk."

"Yeah, I should know. Being a jerk-ass myself, I can spot them a mile away." Haga stated casually. "Maybe, you never noticed. But then that was because you two were friends. Same goes for the rest of the people in that little clique of yours…"

"Clique?" Yuugi blinked.

"Yeah. Clique. Your gang of friends. Anzu, Jounouchi, Honda, and you. I don't know if you've noticed, but Jounouchi and Honda are both still jerks."

"I don't think so." Yuugi frowned.

"Like I said – they are your _friends_. Therefore, they are nice to _you_. But remember the way they were before that?"

Yuugi grimaced, but nodded.

"Yeah. They're _still_ like that. Only they just choose to inflict in upon anyone that ticks them off. Like me. And Ryuzaki, though to a lesser extent. Sure, maybe the people they're mean to deserve it. But, so do _they_, if you go for the whole, 'an eye for an eye and we all end up blind' thing."

Yuugi had never really believed in revenge, though the Pharaoh did. So, he could see what Haga was getting at. But, still…

"Wouldn't that mean that you're _still_ in the wrong when you act like a jerk back to them?"

"Of course. But that's not the point. They're no better or worse than _I_ am." He grinned. "Which is further proven in that I _am_ kind to Rebecca. Who just so happens to be my friend. See the parallels here, Yuugi?" After all, he wouldn't be Rebecca's friend if he _weren't_ kind to her.

"You really like to argue, don't you?"

"Yes," he answered honestly. "It is the most intellectually stimulating practice in the history of human kind…Actually, it's one of the few things I actually _like_ about human kind. That, and books…and Rebecca." She happened to like arguing as well.

"I can tell!" Yuugi laughed good-naturedly at this. Haga couldn't stop thinking about the girl and it was pretty obvious. Yuugi wished him all the luck in the world with her. "But, I get what you mean. I'm sorry my friends were so mean to you."

"No, no, no, don't apologize for _them_!" Haga shook his head. "If they want to, they should do it themselves."

"You don't think people can apologize for each other?"

"_Hell_ no. That's like fighting someone else's battle." Then, he smiled crookedly. "Which…is basically what you tried to do for Jounouchi and Honda before you became friends…Yuugi, you _really_ need to stop doing that."

"I can't!" He smiled ruefully. "It's in my nature."

"And it will get you killed some day, Yuugi. I'd bet my deck on it."

"Then, I'll be okay with that when it happens, Haga."

"Try asking your friends if they'll 'be okay with that when it happens.' I can guarantee they'll have you in a foam room before you can blink."

Haga laughed, but then stopped abruptly and tilted his head a little, as if listening to something. Yuugi did the same, and then smiled at what he heard. Haga just grinned.

"Rebecca, you really need to learn to _giggle_ more quietly. You can come in now."

"Aw, sorry, Haga." Rebecca chirped as she revealed herself and walked in. She'd obviously been standing outside the doorway, listening in. "You two just sounded like you were getting along so well!"

Yuugi smiled until Haga scowled and twitched slightly, which caused Yuugi's smile to shrivel a bit.

"How long were you listening?" Haga asked Rebecca.

"Hmm…Three minutes, I think." She sat next to Haga. "I tuned in at about the time you started philosophizing, Haga."

They all got a good chuckle out of that.

"Anyway," The insect duelist changed the subject. "_Now_, what are we going to do?" He turned to Yuugi and asked harshly, "Is there any reason _you're_ still here?"

Rebecca whacked Haga on the back of the head.

"Oh, don't be so rude, Haga!"

"_Now_, you hit me! After I openly shunned Yuugi, all you did was force me to deal with him. And now you hit me for asking him a rude question. What changed?"

"Well, _now_ you two are getting along. DON'T STOP." Rebecca practically begged. "If you two become friends, we can all hang out together!"

"We are _not_ going to become friends." Haga insisted. "_Not ever_."

"Why in the world not?" Rebecca seemed at her wit's end.

"Because we don't like each other," Haga answered flatly, and continued before Yuugi could get the chance to interrupt. "So, that's it. No dice."

Rebecca just sighed in heavy exasperation. However, it was then that she got an idea.

"So…Why don't we just…" She smiled. "…_talk_?"

"Talk?" Haga quirked a brow while Yuugi just stared at her with a puzzled look of his own.

"Yeah. We can all just talk about whatever."

"Well…" Haga seemed to think about it for a moment, but then he twitched and held up an index finger. "Oh, _no_, you don't! I see what you're trying to-"

"What?" Rebecca tilted her head to the side, and then smirked at him. He had surprisingly fallen for her trap. "What's the matter, Haga? I was just thinking we all could talk. It's not like you two will, oh, _become friends_ if you _really_ don't like each other. I mean, there shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Haga just stared in bug-eyed fashion.

"_Right?_" Her smirk showed a few more teeth at that moment.

Oh, you _manipulative little trickster_, were the words in Haga's head at that time. He figured it out and he did _not_ like the position he was now in.

So, what do you do when you're in a non-ideal position? Why, get out of it, of course!

"I refuse!" Haga jumped up from the couch he and Rebecca were sitting on, and then proceeded to sprint towards the living room exit. However, Rebecca was too fast and prepared. She had him by the back of his shirt before he'd even realized that he was running in place.

"Haga," She thought it necessary to reason with him, even when he was in her determined grip. "Don't you want to _talk_ with me? Didn't we plan on meeting today and talking about stuff? Like we do every day? Why does this have to be any _different_?"

"Because you want me to talk to him." Haga answered, having calmed down enough to stand in place.

"Whoever said that?" Rebecca laughed as if such an idea was absurd, while Yuugi sighed dejectedly in the background. "You can talk to me. And so can Yuugi. At the same time."

"Um," Haga shook his head. He and Yuugi had thought about that. "It's not going to-"

"Let's just _try_ it, okay?" Rebecca snapped, dragging Haga back to the couch and practically pushing him to sit down. She sat down beside him, an arm around his shoulders to keep him from pulling another escape attempt (without dragging her along, at least.) "Now, then," Rebecca took a deep breath. "What should we talk about?"

"I thought you said-"

"I WAS TALKING TO YUUGI." Rebecca boomed, fists clenched.

Haga just listened to the subsequent silence.

"I'm sorry, Haga. I've had a long day."

"…which you technically brought upon yourself by bringing Yuugi over here."

"Well, true. But, still…"

"It's okay. I forgive you."

"Aw, you're sweet." Rebecca chirped, giving him a quick hug before turning to Yuugi. "So, what should we talk about?"

_This is an awkward relationship just waiting to happen_, Yuugi thought, having watched the whole drama like it had been some sort of wacked-out shoujo anime romance scene. Prompted to speak, Yuugi laughed nervously before finally saying,

"I don't know. How's school been going?"

"Er," Rebecca twitched at the pitiful attempt at conversation (especially so considering this was Summer break and everyone wanted to _forget_ about school) before turning to Haga. "And what do _you_ want to talk about?"

Haga thought about it for a moment before answering, "Insects."

Crickets chirped outside, emphasizing the quiet scene quite nicely.

"…Why don't we talk about our families?" Rebecca giggled in an effort to avoid a conversation that no one else actually cared about. "Yuugi, you go first."

"Well, there's my grandfather." Yuugi began speaking. "He owns a game shop and he's really great at Duel Monsters. He gave me my first deck, which included…"

"Yes, we all know." Haga dead-panned. Exodia, blah, blah, blah. The Forbidden One, blah, blah…

"Er…All right." Yuugi replied pathetically. "Then, there's also my mom, who I live with. She's really nice and she makes great cookies."

The crickets outside slowed their chirping at this time.

"Wow. _Cookies_, Yuugi?" Haga raised an eye brow. "Is that all you have to say? Really?"

"Well," Yuugi laughed tensely. "She likes scrapbooking and pressing flowers."

"…Okay." Haga droned. "And…your father?" He had apparently forgotten completely about the, "we won't talk to each other" part of the plan. Rebecca did not bother to silence him.

Yuugi stared blankly forward, without saying a word.

"I get the point." Haga finally said after there was no answer. He knew at least three people, at the moment, who had issues with their fathers. It seemed to be a re-occurring theme of life.

"Ahahahahaha. Okay, then. My turn!" Rebecca jumped in before the awkward sound of tumbleweeds drifting through the living room could drown out everyone's thoughts. "I live with my grandpa, who's a really cool archaeologist! I want to be an archaeologist like him after I finish college. My mom is an archaeologist, too. But, I don't get to see her that much, since she's more active than grandpa. My dad spends most of his time cleaning the house and watching soap operas. I haven't really bothered to talk to my parents in a while."

Haga frowned slightly at her last sentence. It seemed like they all had something in common…

"Sounds like a family line of archaeologists." Yuugi smiled. "Not too surprising."

"Heh, yeah, I guess it's in the blood!" Rebecca grinned before turning to Haga. "Your turn!"

"Oh…Well, all right." Haga glanced at Yuugi before focusing on his shoes. "My parents are…insignificant." Without leaving time for anyone to react to that, Haga continued, "Hotaru, on the other hand, is awesome. She has a garden out back that she loves to take care of and she's looked after me ever since I was five years old. But, Hotaru's also sort've paranoid – she's got the whole mansion bugged, with hidden cameras added in, by the way. She also keeps a 'Hit List' of people who wrong me. And she spends most of her 'off hours' _checking off_ names from that list."

"'Checking…off'…?" Yuugi blinked.

"As in…_dealing_ with my enemies." Haga added this vague elaboration with a grin. "That list included you, Yuugi. She's probably erased your name by now, though. So, don't worry. You'll be fine. Probably."

That had been a terrifying moment for Yuugi. Because, really, Hotaru had unnerved him from the start. He didn't know why. There was just something about her to suggest that she was one second away from being completely _unhinged_. Her presence had almost given Yuugi the impression of a loyal bodyguard. He didn't even know why she seemed that way. Despite speaking politely enough, one couldn't help but get the feeling that Hotaru was not entirely calm.

Or sane. While Haga's facial expressions sometimes made others think of _him_ this way, the truth was that, when you got to know him, Haga was a pretty regular guy. With his own personality and quite a few quirks, but still not nearly as crazy as everyone thought he was.

But Hotaru? She was just so disturbingly calm, collected, dignified. The way she had wrapped her arms around Haga's shoulders (while inviting Yuugi into her home) had seemed somehow…overly protective. And yet subdued.

Like a guard dog bound by a leash, protecting her ward.

"Umm…Yuugi, are you okay?" Rebecca frowned at him before poking Haga in the forehead. "Why did you have to scare him like that?"

"Hey! Don't blame me. You asked me about my family. So, I told about my family. Hotaru just has that effect on _everyone_." Haga said. "Don't ask me why. She seems pretty cool to me, anyway…"

"She seems all right to me, too." Rebecca nodded before turning to Yuugi. "What are you so worried about, anyway?"

"Um, nothing! Nothing at all." Yuugi smiled weakly. "I'm just surprised that she has a list like that. She just seemed so nice…That's all."

"She _is_ nice." Haga insisted. "She just has a dark side. And don't we all?" He grinned in mock imitation of his _Orichalcos_-influenced facial expressions.

"If you say so." Yuugi laughed nervously. "So, anyway, maybe I should get going now."

"Yes. _Please_, do." Haga chirped, his mood brightening considerably. "I'll show you the way out! Never come back." Rebecca, fed up by Haga's attitude, stood up and proceeded to drag him off into another room.

"If you'll excuse us, Yuugi…" Rebecca pardoned on the way out, while Haga barely even tried to struggle against her. She was practically a force of nature when she got into these "moods," after all. "We'll be right back."

"Umm…Okay." And, like that, Yuugi was left alone. He decided to sit and fidget for the time being. The walls were painted a very nice shade of Spring green, he noted as he continued to examine them…

* * *

"Haga, what is your problem with him?" Rebecca began her interrogation three rooms away from the living room they'd all been sitting in just a few moments earlier.

"My problem? Rebecca, maybe you've forgotten who you're talking to…?"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Big rivalry, blah, blah. All that. _So? _It's not the Pharaoh we're talking about, right? Yuugi's never done anything to you. So, what in the world is-"

"Too _FAST!_" Haga fired off the words as if he had been holding his breath for two minutes and was just now releasing it.

"Um…Huh?" Rebecca blinked.

"Up until today, I have hated Yuugi for insulting me and kicking me out of Duelist Kingdom. I have yearned for the chance to kick his ass in a duel…" Haga said serenely before, with one short twitch, he exploded, "And now, I've found out that it was the _Pharaoh_ who pissed me off in the first place and that the Pharaoh in question is _gone_! Not only that, I also just beat Yuugi in a duel! THE KING OF GAMES! I beat him. _What._ At the time, I didn't think much of it. He seemed more like a very worthy opponent. But, now, in retrospect…I think that the only reason it didn't seem like a big deal to me was that I was – and still kind've _am_ – in _shock_! My brain. Is not. _Working right_. I feel like I have whiplash! And I feel like the world is spinning – and _not_ in the normal way!"

For a moment, Haga's friend just stared.

"Wow…Okay." Rebecca giggled after about two minutes of silence. "I think I get it now. Things are happening too fast, right? You're still trying to figure stuff out. And the concept of starting a new friendship – especially with someone you used to hate – is a little too daunting right now, huh?"

"Precisely." Haga shook his head. "So, please, can we just send Yuugi away? I'm a little bit confused about the situation as it is now."

"It's fine. I'm sure he won't mind anyway." Without warning, Rebecca took Haga's hand and began to walk with him back towards the living room. "Thanks for talking to me about it anyway, Haga. It helps for me to know what's going on in that head of yours. Honestly, it's so difficult to get inside your cute, crazy brain sometimes."

"Well, not everyone is so open as you are, Rebecca." Haga mumbled, turning away and blushing, but not jerking his hand away from hers. It felt nice, he decided awkwardly. Rebecca was nice.

But instead of answering, Rebecca simply went silent as she realized that they were within ear-shot of Yuugi in the living room. Once they made their entrance, Haga made his announcement,

"You can leave now, Yuugi." It was about 11:00 AM at the time. So, Haga couldn't exactly tell the guy to "go home." He'd probably go off with his other friends somewhere, anyway…

"Oh, uh, okay then." The boy blinked up at them before standing up. "Sorry for any inconvenience, Haga. I know you probably-"

"Don't apologize." Haga interrupted sharply. "No. Really. Just stop apologizing to me. Or I'll break your goddamned duel disk. I'm serious."

"Umm…All right." Yuugi smiled weakly and felt a bead of cold sweat drip down his forehead as Haga and Rebecca led him to the exit of the mansion.

Rebecca just shrugged and shook her head at their behavior. If those two ever became friends, she decided, it would be the absolute _weirdest_ friendship in the world.

* * *

"Bye, Yuugi." The blonde duelist said once they reached the front door. "See you tomorrow."

"Huh?" Haga did a double-take and looked at Rebecca. "But, wait…We're not hanging out tomorrow?" He looked shocked beyond all belief, but calmed down when Rebecca smiled and said,

"Oh, we will!" Then, her smile became an almost evil grin as she looked at Haga. "And so will Yuugi. No objections."

"But…But…Okay, whatever. But, don't expect me to talk to him!" Haga sighed dejectedly.

"Thank you, Haga." Rebecca gave him a quick hug before turning to Yuugi. "Well, you heard me! We expect to see you at nine o'clock in the morning tomorrow! I'll take you to Haga's house like I did today, okay, Yuugi?"

"Sure, Rebecca. Whatever you say."

"_Jeez!_ We both sound like such doormats, don't we Yuugi?" Haga droned, but with a tiny smile.

"I guess you're right!" The two boys laughed in agreement while Rebecca just twitched.

"You two…For all the trouble I'm going through, you two had better become friends!"

"Or else?" Haga smirked, tempting fate as he so often did.

"Or else I'm hand-cuffing you both together for a week." Rebecca snickered, deadly serious. She had seen this technique in television shows. It always worked.

The threat was all too real and unnerving for Haga and Yuugi to shrug it off. So, they both just laughed mechanically and tried to leave Rebecca's warning for later contemplation.

"So, uh, anyway, it was nice talking to you two, today." Yuugi began his goodbyes. "And it was nice dueling you, Haga. You really, um…"

"Ripped you a new one?" Haga offered, regaining his confidence.

"Yeah. That." Yuugi twitched. "You've gotten a lot stronger."

"Er, thanks." Haga muttered. "You're better than the Pharaoh was, I have to say that much." Which was weird, Haga thought. He had beaten Yuugi, and yet not the Pharaoh. How did _that_ work? Maybe, he really _had_ gotten better. Somehow. He definitely hadn't underestimated Yuugi. That had helped at least.

"Thanks, Haga." Yuugi smiled and reached out his hand for Haga to shake. "Well, congratulations. I guess this day marks your first as the King of Games, right?"

"Er. About that, Yuugi…" Haga stared down at his rival's hand for a moment. "Just…don't tell anyone about our duel today, all right?"

"Huh?" Yuugi and Rebecca both exclaimed at the same time. "Why not?"

"Don't you want to be King of Games, Haga?" Rebecca asked.

"Well, I've thought about that." That was what he'd been thinking about while sitting in the living room and talking to Yuugi. It had been buzzing through his head ever since his victory. He had finally come to a decision at this moment. "I…I'm thinking about just leaving Duel Monsters behind."

"What?" Both his present companions stared in shock. Insector Haga _quitting_? Absurd!

"I don't want any more connections to – and that includes any _titles_ regarding – the game. I'm even thinking about going and relinquishing my title of Japanese National Champion. So, don't go blabbing about this, Yuugi. You can keep your title."

"Haga, I don't understand – This was what you _joined an evil cult_ for!"

"_Exactly!_" Haga nearly snapped, shaking his head. Normally, it would have felt strange to tell Yuugi what he had been thinking about. But he couldn't help it. This just had to be said. Immediately, or else Haga felt he would explode. "Look at what this…this…_game_ has done to me. I've become obsessed. I worried the hell out of my sister when I left for the U.S.! It took me over for a while and, even though I didn't care at the time, I don't like it in retrospect. When I finally told Hotaru about what I did over in America – basically joining a cult to destroy the world – she looked so hurt and confused. How screwed up _was_ I? I can't do that to her again."

Rebecca could see his point. She didn't like what the game had done to him, either.

"Plus, now that the Pharaoh's gone, I'm starting to realize that there are a lot more priorities I should be focusing on. The 'champion' title is fleeting, after all. I was a big shot one day, and a laughing stock the next. It's nothing stable to stand on for the rest of my life." He was afraid of losing, and falling apart, again. "Besides, I'm starting college next year and I'm even thinking about getting a part-time job at some point, while I'm studying to become an entomologist." A scientist dedicated to studying insects. "I'm not sure I'll have time for Duel Monsters."

"Wow." Rebecca blinked. She guessed that she hadn't really thought about it that way. She planned on starting college next year too. Would that take up a lot of time as well? Maybe, Haga was on to something. "But, why do you need a job anyway, Haga? Aren't you rich?"

"I'm only thinking about it." Haga shrugged. His sister worked, after all. "But, I'm definitely going to start doing some serious studies of insects. After observing them all my life, I'm practically _already_ an entomologist. All that's missing is my college degree. Plus, I'd like to get the chance to start studying for specialization in the parasitological field. That's always been a big area of interest for me…Definitely not going to have enough time to be a card game champion."

"All right, then." Yuugi beamed at Haga, understanding. He was growing up, and getting wiser all right. "I'll keep quiet about our duel."

"Good." Haga nodded. Perhaps, he could get used to this guy, after all. Wait, of course not. That would be impossible. Probably. In any case, he reached forward and somewhat tentatively shook Yuugi's hand. "Thanks for dueling me, anyway. And more than that, thank you for taking me seriously."

"The Pharaoh never really did." Yuugi admitted before laughing nervously. "Not until you joined an evil cult, at least."

"Haha, but then he took me, shall we say, a little _too_ seriously!" He sighed. "Quite the temper, that guy had…"

"Maybe, that's because you made him think that you had destroyed any chance of his ever seeing his friend again." Yuugi deadpanned. "And then you said, 'Just kidding!' afterwards. I think that actually made it worse."

"…Yeah, I guess that would kill a mood pretty quickly."

"You think?" Rebecca quirked a brow, but then she laughed. "See? Isn't this great? The three of us, just laughing about the old times like this? Makes it all seem a little happier, huh?"

"Yeah." Haga snorted. "Just don't get used to it."

"Haga…Are you _trying_ to act like more of a jerk than you actually are?" Yuugi grinned, himself feeling a bit bold at this point.

"Yuugi…Are you _trying_ to get me pissed off?" Haga flashed an equally bright grin. He'd used the same saccharine-sweet tone as Yuugi had. He was, of course, joking. They both were.

"Haga," said a voice that was most certainly _not_ joking. This time, it came from the mansion. It was Hotaru wearing a grin of her own. Hers, in contrast, was just a little demented. "Are you _trying_ to let bugs in through the front door?"

They had been holding their conversation in the doorway this entire time and it had taken them this long to realize it.

"Yeeeeees, Hotaru~!" Haga practically sang without skipping a beat. He was one of the few people in the world Hotaru couldn't always intimidate. "Are you really surprised when I do this anymore?"

"Not at all." Hotaru laughed, as did Rebecca and Yuugi. They all stood in the presence of the only boy who would _want_ insects in his house. "Now, close the door. Whoever wants to leave, can leave. But, if I find any insect bites on me tomorrow morning, it's coming out of your allowance, Haga."

"Understood." Haga turned to Yuugi. "Well, bye." All parties involved waved and said their goodbyes before the door was closed.

"So, Haga, tell me honestly: Do you think that you and Yuugi will ever be able to become friends?" Rebecca asked.

"No," Haga answered a little _too_ quickly. "Never."

"Agh..._You_." Rebecca just sighed and shook her head. But, then she quickly turned to her friend and gave him a warm, firm, hug. "Still, I'm proud of you for at least trying to act mature around Yuugi. Some of the time. A little bit."

"Wow, you have low standards about this!" Haga laughed nervously, wondering once again whether or not he was supposed to return this longer-than-usual hug. So, he decided to compromise diplomatically by reaching over and placing a hand on Rebecca's shoulder.

It's a start, the girl thought dryly as she let go of her friend.

The two of them hung out around the mansion (and, as usual, bothered Hotaru) for the rest of the day.

* * *

"Hey, Guys!" Yuugi greeted his friends as he ran to meet them at the game shop.

"Yuugi! There you are." Honda turned to see him, as did Jounouchi and Anzu.

"Where have you been all morning?" Anzu asked casually.

"A friend's house." Yuugi replied with a shrug and a secretive smile. Despite further interrogation from his friends, Yuugi elaborated no further.

But Yuugi's grandpa, remembering that Rebecca had dragged him off that morning, thought about why Yuugi would be hiding anything about it. Wait…hadn't Arthur Hopkins mentioned something about Rebecca spending her days with Insector Haga? Once he realized this, and put the puzzle pieces together, Mr. Mutou couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

* * *

Around the time when she wasn't being innocently "spied on" (Haga's idea – his way of "getting back at" his older sister for installing surveillance equipment in the most pointless of places) by the two mischievous little tricksters in her mansion, Hotaru was staring at the phone in her combination room/office. Far as Haga knew, this phone didn't even exist. He only knew about the one in the living room.

This was Hotaru's personal phone, which she routinely checked for "bugs." The Insector family, as one of the wealthiest in Japan, had its fair share of enemies after all.

After a few more seconds of contemplation, Hotaru removed the phone from its receiver and stared at the number buttons. She thought to herself. If she told her boss about the duel that had taken place today, the results would be _amusing_ to say the least. She did love to see Mr. Kaiba show _some_ emotion, besides irritation. Plus, the doting elder sister did enjoy bragging about her little brother and this was a prime opportunity.

But then again, Hotaru questioned the idea of going behind Haga's back to tell Seto Kaiba of all people about this victory. Though she had neglected to check the recording of his most recent conversation in the doorway, Hotaru got the feeling that her brother was losing interest in Duel Monsters. It was understandable really, as he had never actually _enjoyed_ the game itself in the first place so much as he enjoyed winning. At any game at all, really.

So, after a little more thought, Hotaru resolved to abandon her mischievous idea, and went back to looking up articles online.

A wise decision on her part.

* * *

At some point, Rebecca remembered to return the jacket Haga had let her borrow the other day. He told her to keep it, and that he had plenty of copies – one of which he had been wearing since this morning. She was confused at first, but ended up holding on to his jacket as something of a keepsake. In return, Rebecca decided to give him a really pretty, thumb nail-sized sapphire. It had been something that she'd found at one of her grandfather's digs, and had kept for herself because it was her favorite color. The color reminded her of Haga's eyes, at times when they shined their brightest. He liked the sapphire, though his favorite color was actually green, and decided to keep it.

The two talked, played chess, and explored the mansion until nine o'clock, when Rebecca called her grandpa and told him that she'd be sleeping over at Haga's house. Mr. Hopkins, having gotten to know Hotaru and Haga pretty well over the past month, happily agreed.

They accidentally fell asleep on the living room couch, sometime around 3:30 in the morning, in the middle of watching _Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind_– Haga's favorite out of the three Miyazaki movies they'd watched that night.

When she went to go wake them up at 8:00 AM, Hotaru found the two kids laying on their sides, heads resting on opposite arm cushions of the couch, their sock-covered feet just barely touching. Rebecca's glasses sat crookedly on her face while Haga's were clinging by an ear, having all but fallen off. Both wore noticeably serene expressions.

Hotaru simply smile and decided to let them sleep a little longer.

She had never seen Haga look so peaceful.

* * *

Thank you for reading. ^^ Please, review if you have the time.


	5. A Life's Measure 1st Part

A/N: Well, there's been some demand for this story to continue and I have had ideas in mind. So, here starts the next "arc" of this story. I know it's been a while and I apologize, but I hope any readers still around will still enjoy it.

The usual disclaimers apply.

* * *

The day after Haga and Yuugi finally found some closure regarding their rivalry, they both found themselves dragged off to the mall by Rebecca. Haga, of course, would have preferred the forest, but Rebecca doubted that Yuugi would enjoy such a location as much as she and the entomologist did.

She wanted them both to get something out of this, so she decided that the mall would be a good place to hang out. Haga would get to please his sweet-tooth with candy and all involved would get to mess around with some arcade games. Indeed, Rebecca hoped that they could even catch a movie if anything half-decent was showing. All of the above would, of course, be funded by Haga and his seemingly infinite supply of allowance.

"Hey! They have air hockey. Yuugi, let's play that," Haga snickered, poking Yuugi's shoulder as they neared the arcade. As some sort of big-time sports game was taking place elsewhere near Domino, most of the mall was relatively empty and the arcade was no exception to that rule, which made Rebecca glad as it meant that fewer people would be around to stare at the three big-time duelists hanging out together so casually.

"Uh, wh-what? Why?" Yuugi stared at Haga, wondering where this had come from.

"Because I want to kick your ass at more things. Now, come on – before someone else gets to it!" With that, Haga practically dragged the guy off toward the air hockey table. He then turned to Rebecca and held out the bag of chocolate and other sugary snacks that he'd bought. "Hold this for me, please?"

Rebecca nodded and accepted the bag along with Yuugi's, then watched Haga deposit the coins he'd brought with him into the air hockey table. The machine started up, so Yuugi and Haga took their places at opposite ends of the table.

"I should probably warn you, Yuugi – I have great reflexes from catching bugs with my bare hands all my life. Plus, my reach is better than yours." Only slightly though. "You'll be toast by the end of this."

"I thought you'd learned not to underestimate your opponents, Haga," Yuugi replied after laughing somewhat nervously. He really didn't want another tense rivalry to be born from this.

"I have, and I'm not!"

After that, the puck dropped and the game began. Yuugi got to have the first shot, though Haga swiftly intercepted, and returned, it. He'd been honest about his reflexes and proved to be surprisingly good at this game. Yuugi was no slouch either and gave nearly as good as he got, though Haga managed to acquire an early lead.

As for Rebecca, she just relaxed and watched the game, feeling glad that things weren't so tense in their little group as they had been earlier this morning. Haga had avoided even speaking more than a word or two at a time, at least until they'd made it to the candy store. At that point, Haga became very talkative regarding all the sorts of candies and chocolates that he loved, asking Rebecca what her favorites were, and gleefully pointing out everything in the store. Somehow, Yuugi had joined in and it turned out that he and Haga shared many a favorite cavity-afflicting treat. They ended up chattering freely about that and things had steadily defrosted from there, with Haga even buying Yuugi a whole bunch of candy as if it had been nothing at all.

And now – the cherry on top – Haga and Yuugi looked like they were actually enjoying themselves playing this game. Even when Yuugi managed to score a point, Haga simply got over it quickly and got back to having fun. Rebecca couldn't stop smiling all the while.

When Haga quite expectedly won, and acquired a whole ream of tickets from the machine, he grinned.

"Yes! Victory! Haha, what did I tell you?" He took the tickets and, to the shock of both Yuugi and Rebecca, tore one off before tossing it to Yuugi. "Before you ask, it's a pity ticket. My usual policy. I can afford to, since I'm just going to win more tickets from everyone else in this room anyway."

"Do you hang around here often?" Yuugi asked, looking a bit surprised. He'd just assumed that Haga spent all his time at home or in the forest.

"Sometimes, when it's really rainy and the forest is impossible to deal with. It's fun tearing through nooblets," Haga stated with a shrug.

"Hmph. Well, aren't you just so confident?" Rebecca smirked. "Feel like playing a game against me?"

"How could I possibly refuse the request of such a cute young lady?" Haga locked eyes with her. "I just hope you don't mind losing."

"Same to you!" Rebecca held the bags of candy out for Yuugi to hold, and he accepted them after pocketing his lone ticket. She then took Yuugi's place at the table opposite of Haga. "And, hey – why don't we make this interesting?"

"Oh, boy…" Yuugi let out an exasperated sigh. He could see where this was going, and it worried him a tad. Things had been going so well too…

"What did you have in mind?" Haga peered at her from behind his glasses, suddenly becoming very interested in this.

"The usual. If I win, you'll be my slave for a week. If you win, I'll be your slave for a week. Within reason, of course."

"So _typical_," Haga scoffed, "but all right. I'm in." He inserted a few more coins into the machine, activating it. The puck dropped on Rebecca's side, and so the game began.

"You're better than I expected you to be," Haga conceded after they'd gone back and forth for half a minute.

"Heh. You're not the only one who likes to tear through nooblets," Rebecca said with an unwavering smirk as she narrowly managed to intercept the puck and send it right back.

"My god, a cute female genius who likes to rip newbies apart at games – where _have_ you been all my life?" Haga meant nothing serious by the flirty joke, but hoped it might distract Rebecca enough to give him some edge. It apparently succeeded, and Rebecca looked at him with shock for a moment before he managed to make a goal.

"…You _cheat_!"

"Did you forget who your opponent was? A fatal mistake." Haga grinned. Rebecca just shook her head, grimacing, and the game resumed. All the while the two teased each other with flirty comments and mocking critiques ("You play like a _boy_!") – each hoping to throw the other off-balance. Starting to really enjoy this, while also being filled with a stubborn determination, Rebecca fought back and managed to bring them to a solid tie. While Haga's reach was greater than hers, Rebecca also had the advantage of this being her first air hockey game all day. Haga was still a little battered from his previous game with Yuugi, which Rebecca had been counting on. Unfortunately, it seemed that he had quite a bit of stamina and they were soon both panting for breath in equal measure.

"Come on, Rebecca, just give up and let me win. I'll be a nice master, I promise," Haga said between breaths, after they'd been playing for a good fifteen minutes. He sent the puck Rebecca's way and she managed to hit it back.

"I could say the same to you," she gasped, still determined. "Have you guessed what my first order will be when you become my slave?"

"Not gonna happen but, hypothetically, what?" Haga was curious, despite himself.

"I'm gonna make you kiss me," Rebecca said, then immediately used all her strength to hit the puck so hard it ricocheted off the side of the table and flew straight into Haga's goal.

"Uh…_huh_?!" Haga hadn't noticed, still too shocked by what Rebecca just said. His face went bright red and his mouth hung open as his eyes flicked between her and his end of the table for a few moments before settling on her. "Wha-?! You…_You!_"

"Hehe. Guess I win!" Rebecca accepted the tickets produced for her, ripped one off, and pressed it against Haga's nose. "You don't have to be my slave though. I just wanted to make sure you'd play seriously. So, don't worry. Just take your 'pity ticket.'"

"Good job, Rebecca!" Yuugi smiled hugely, trying to pretend that that hadn't been the weirdest game he'd seen in a while.

"Thanks, Yuugi!" Rebecca gave him a "thumbs-up."

Weevil took the "pity ticket," then stared at Rebecca, who laughed.

"I wish I had a mirror so I could show you the look on your face," she said with a wink, then retrieved her and Haga's candy bags from Yuugi. "Come on; let's play some more games so we can trade these tickets for some stuff."

Eventually, Haga returned to his senses and they all did as was suggested. After an hour or so, they all traded their tickets in for stuffed animals, silly putty, small toys, or more candy. At Rebecca's bidding, they then headed off toward the movie theater.

"Were you really never planning on making me your slave if you won?" Haga asked Rebecca on the way. It had been bugging him.

"Hmm…I don't know." That was the best answer that Rebecca was willing to give, and Haga had to accept it.

* * *

"What in the world possessed us to wait in line rather than just getting tickets online beforehand?"

"Well, it's not like we planned this that far in advance," Rebecca muttered.

"Hmm, you're right," Haga admitted. "Guess it's your fault then, since this was your idea."

"Oh, shut up, you."

Of all the movies being shown, Rebecca had elected to pick the newest horror flick. While she expected that it would be just another jump-scare affair, it was a choice between that and a romantic comedy. For her, the best choice was obvious.

"You two sure like to bicker a lot," Yuugi commented, smiling serenely.

"It's our hobby," Haga replied. "Haven't you heard? I'm the World Bickering Champion. Good luck taking _that_ title from me, Yuugi."

"Hey! That's _my_ title, you big jerk," Rebecca chimed in, giggling.

"Well, I didn't see your name on it!"

Yuugi just laughed as Haga paid for their tickets and they made their way into the theater to get popcorn. They had to hide their candy in Haga's backpack to avoid dealing with those dumb rules about food brought into movie theaters.

Once they managed to find three seats all together for them to sit in, Rebecca sat between Haga and Yuugi, and then stared up at the screen as the usual advertisements played. The relative quiet gave all parties involved some time to think.

Given such an occasion, Haga couldn't help but wish that Yuugi wasn't there. As it turned out, the guy wasn't that bad, but Haga still missed having Rebecca all to himself. Their quiet get-togethers had felt a lot more personal than something like this, and they made him more comfortable, so he looked forward to getting back to that.

Rebecca, for her part, was content that the guys were getting along at all. That in itself was a big step. Plus, she felt happy to be able to hang around both of them so naturally. The movie finally began and Rebecca ate a handful of popcorn before leaning back in her seat. Jump-scares didn't affect her much, so the most she could hope for from this was some ounce of creativity. Sadly, the film disappointed.

About half-way through, Haga chuckled and leaned over to whisper into Rebecca's ear.

"Dear god, look at those horrid special effects. Did they waste the budget on hiring the bad-yet-weirdly-famous actors, you think?"

"Nah, I think they wasted it on the filming location," Rebecca whispered back, quietly laughing herself. "I bet that cost a few fortunes."

"I swear, these films are just becoming all money, no talent." Haga sighed sadly. "Or do you think it's always been that way, but we never noticed because we've only held onto the films that were good enough to survive the decades?"

"Hmm…Can't be sure. I'd have to do research first."

"I think that would be the wisest thing to do."

Someone "shushed" them from a row back, so they quieted down and watched the rest without further conversation. Rebecca and Yuugi jumped a few times, but Haga seemed mostly unfazed by the scares. After it ended, the group of three walked out of the movie theater.

"Well, that was mediocre," Haga declared.

"Eh," Yuugi said, shrugging as he left it there. A dime a dozen as films went, but at least the popcorn was good.

"You guys want to get something to eat?" Rebecca asked. "I'm starved."

"That'd be a good idea, I think. How about pizza?" Haga suggested.

"Pizza sounds good," Yuugi said while Rebecca nodded in agreement.

"Then, pizza it is."

As they walked in that direction though, a familiar voice rang out from behind them.

"Woah! Bug Boy, is that you? And you're with…" The voice trailed off, apparently in shock, and Haga turned to see none other than Ryuzaki – the dinosaur duelist – heading their way.

"You? Oh, jeez, what are _you_ doing here?" Both boys looked equally amazed, though Ryuzaki seemed to have reasons not related to this odd coincidence.

"I just finished watching that scare flick – what else? Guessing you just did the same, but uh…" Ryuzaki walked over and looked from Haga, to Yuugi, to Rebecca, and then back at Haga again, before quirking a brow. "What the hell is going on?"

"None of your business," Haga answered on impulse, only to find himself abruptly yanked away from his two companions and out of earshot, though still within sight, of them. "Hey! Just what do you think you're doing?"

"Seriously, Man, what the hell? What are you doing hanging around with your biggest enemy? Did something happen? Are you two friends now?"

"Yes and, in other news, Hell froze over yesterday," Haga hissed, his voice drenched in sarcasm. "No, you idiot! I'm friends with Rebecca – that blonde girl you all but ignored just now. And she just so happens to be friends with Yuugi. We're having a little get-together to make her happy. That's all. Also, why do you care?"

"Woah, wait, you have a friend? A _pretty_ friend?" Ryuzaki evidently saw no reason to answer that question. "How did that happen?"

"Long story. Now, please go away." Haga turned to head back over to Yuugi and Rebecca, but was stopped.

"Hey! Don't give me that. You can't blame me for being curious – this is the weirdest thing I've seen all year!" Haga gave Ryuzaki a severely questioning look and Ryuzaki amended that statement quickly. "Okay, it's the weirdest thing I've seen all _week_. But come on! You can't just leave me in the dark."

"I can actually, but you aren't anyway. Rebecca is my friend now because we met, we talked, and we liked each other. Rebecca wanted to hang out with both Yuugi _and_ me. So now, whether I personally like it or not, she is. Got it?"

"Agh, fine. Whatever you say." Ryuzaki just sighed and shook his head. "I heard you guys talking about food. Mind if I come along? I haven't had anything to eat all day."

"Are you kidding me?!" Haga glared at him, twitched, and then sighed raggedly. "All right. Just, just…stop asking questions, okay?"

"Sweet!"

* * *

And thus, the group of three became a group of four. They all sat around a small table, eating pizza in an awkward silence.

"So," Yugi began, and then paused for a little while, shifting uneasily before speaking, "I've kind've been wondering about something. Haga, you and Ryuzaki – how do you know each other?" When both boys gave him the most "duh" look he'd ever gotten, he continued, "I mean, did you just meet at the Japanese National Championships, or…?"

They seemed to have a decidedly odd relationship, and it made him curious.

"Do you really want to know?" Haga gave him a pointed look while it was Ryuzaki's turn to shift nervously.

"Yes," Yugi answered after a few moments of consideration.

"I'd kind've like to know too," Rebecca chimed in, genuinely curious herself.

"The third grade," Haga answered simply, and then shrugged. "After that, I transferred to another school and we didn't meet again until the Japanese National Championships. And then we started hanging out, ranting about how much we wanted to defeat you, Yuugi, and, in his case especially, Jounouchi. That's all you need to know."

This ushered in another awkward silence but Rebecca noticed that Ryuzaki seemed to let out a barely audible sigh of relief at Haga's words. Was there something they were both hiding? Haga had mentioned to her that they were "accomplices" only. Was there something that held them back from being friends? Some incident? It really did make her curious.

Still, Haga always made it very clear when he really didn't want to talk about something, and this was one of those times. So, Rebecca decided to avoid questioning further. Yuugi did the same. After everyone finished their pizza, Ryuzaki bade them farewell and went off on his own.

After that, Haga, Rebecca, and Yuugi, all walked around the mall for a little longer, exchanging words only occasionally. The mood had been ruined and, as Haga would later admit, Yuugi had very little to do with it. So, eventually, they left the mall and Yuugi, after sincerely thanking Haga for paying for everything, departed for home by himself.

Haga and Rebecca walked together for a few moments before the former finally spoke.

"So. Did you have fun today?"

"Yeah!" Rebecca smiled, finding her voice again. "I did. Thanks, Haga."

"For what? If you're thanking me for paying for everything, don't mention it. It's not even my money anyway." It was partially his sister's, and partially that of his parents. Haga didn't count things as "his" unless he acquired them through his own abilities – one way or another. Allowance didn't count in his mind, even if it _was_ based partially on good behavior.

"I know, but thanks for just going through with this. I know it must have been difficult for you. So, thanks." She smiled up at him, taking his hand.

It actually shocked Haga a little bit. Thus far, she'd only held his hand that time in the forest, when it had gotten dark and he didn't want her getting lost; and when she was in a hurry and wanted to drag him along. This was different from those other times. It made Haga blush.

"No problem." He smiled. "It wasn't so difficult." Mostly because she was there, but he wasn't about to say that out loud.

"Hey, you know, I was thinking…"

"Be careful doing that!" Haga smirked, unable to hold himself back from making that joke.

"Hush, you," Rebecca hissed, pursing her lips a bit before the expression broke and she couldn't help but chuckle. "Anyway, I was thinking we could do this again sometime except, maybe, with just the two of us. How does that sound?"

Haga blinked, and then turned to face Rebecca.

"Wait…Are you asking me-"

"I'm asking you to go with me on a friendly get-together, but with just us only," Rebecca cut him off before he could finish, poking him playfully on the nose. "You know – like usual, except outside of the forest. We could watch another movie – maybe a better one – and do lots of other stuff around the city. Maybe we could go to a park or something. And, some time in the future, maybe we could have another day like this with Yuugi too. But I'd like to hang out with just you a little more, before then. I missed that today."

"Really?" Haga's eyes widened. When she nodded, he smiled. "Okay. That sounds nice. But, ah, do you want to go spend some time at the forest for the rest of the day? It's still just after noon…"

"Sure! Let's go."

* * *

Six days or so later, Haga and Rebecca finally decided to spend time together outside of the forest. After they finished watching another movie (this one a sci-fi thriller that amused Haga and bored Rebecca) at the theater, Haga told her about an old swing-set in the backyard of his mansion that he and his older sister used to play on occasionally.

And so there they were, swinging together, letting the Summer breeze cool them off as they talked about the movie they'd just watched.

"You know, as interesting of an idea as the whole 'multiple layers to reality' idea is, I think they could have done a little more with it," Haga said, having matched his swinging motions to Rebecca's so that they were always side-by-side. "Maybe they could have had one character that existed in one layer of reality while seeing everything as he would if he were in a 'deeper' layer. Am I making sense?"

"You are, and that probably would have kept me entertained a little better," Rebecca replied after considering it for a few swings, "but I'm sorry – it still wouldn't have made the acting any less cheesy."

"True," Haga laughed, then went quiet. Something occurred to him after another minute or so. "You know, I don't think I've ever been able to speak this freely with anyone else, except Hotaru. Thanks for listening, Rebecca."

"Huh?" Rebecca looked over at him, blinking. She hadn't expected something like that from him, and wondered if it had some hidden meaning. That often seemed to be the case with him. Still, she smiled. "You're welcome! You can talk to me about whatever you want. You know that, right?"

"Hmm." Haga became silent once again, then went still until his swing gradually did the same. "Hey, Rebecca?"

"Yes?"

"What," Haga paused once again, biting his lip, before he continued, "what would you think of me, Rebecca, if I said that, eight or so years ago, I did something really bad?"

That did very well to shock Rebecca out of her train of thought, and she soon stopped swinging as well, coming to a stop beside Haga.

"You…What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, I know that I've done some bad things regarding Duel Monsters and tournaments and the like. But I never _physically_ lashed out at anyone," Haga said, avoiding Rebecca's eyes. "So, what if I said that, back in grade school, I did something rather violent?"

"Well," Rebecca mumbled, thinking about it for a few moments before she finally continued, "we were all really immature back then. It wouldn't surprise me if you got into fights. So, no big deal."

"But it _was_!" Haga had to protest, despite this being a relatively nice reaction he'd gotten. He calmed down quickly though, and continued speaking. "Um, what I mean is, I sort've…started beating someone to a pulp using a plastic and metal chair once."

"Haga," Rebecca said, voice just above a whisper, her eyes widening in concern, "why did you do that?" It did seem odd for him, when she thought about it; he was usually very capricious and capable of sudden bursts of anger, but was never the "violent" sort. Not to that degree, anyway.

"I guess it's kind've a long story. You sure you want to hear about it?" Rebecca nodded, so Haga continued. "When I was a little brat – five, six, seven, I mean – I was a bit of a push-over. I didn't stand up for myself because, even for my age, I was pretty tiny. Everyone and everything seemed so huge and it scared me a whole lot. So, even back then, I really empathized with insects and other tiny creatures. When I saw people kick over ant hills, or step on beetles and caterpillars, I freaked out and tried to get them to stop. Only it didn't work so well, because I was a little guy, so I usually just got pushed around a whole lot more for it. It didn't help that I wore huge glasses back then too, and had this same funny haircut, so that gave them even more of an excuse. Plus, I guess they just found my reactions funny, and that might have even encouraged the rest of their actions. If I had to be thrown around by people though, I was glad it at least meant that, while they were focusing on me, they weren't hurting the ants."

"But, but-!" Rebecca spoke up, looking shocked.

"Yes?" Haga quirked a brow at her.

"You…How could you _do_ that? How could you be okay letting yourself get hurt for, for…?" She couldn't help but trail off, beginning to realize how she sounded. More than anything, she realized that she just hated the idea of Haga getting hurt, but she probably didn't come off that way to him. So, she didn't know how to continue with what she wanted to say.

"For _bugs_?" Haga's tone sharpened a little, which Rebecca had admittedly expected.

"Well, I mean…yes, I know you care about bugs, but your safety's just as important!"

"I-!" Haga frowned, turning to look at Rebecca for the first time since he'd started this conversation. As much as he wanted to point out that it was either he'd get hurt, or multiple insects would actually _die_, he realized at this point that she seemed genuinely concerned about him and about what he went through. So, he couldn't be too hard on her. "Well, I mean, I was a little kid, Rebecca. I saw the insects as just really tiny people whose voices I couldn't hear and who looked funny. So, I thought I was defending countless little lives with my actions. It didn't occur to me that the ants didn't possess self-awareness or anything like that. They just seemed to be alive, and death made me sad, so I had to protect them. Plus, I'll admit I admired their work, since I imagined it took a lot of effort to make homes so much bigger than them. That's all."

"I understand, I think," Rebecca said with a nod after considering it. "You can go on."

"Right then. So, most of the kids in my class went around kicking, or spilling water on, ant hills, and stepping on other bugs. It angered me, even though I didn't quite realize just how much it did at the time. But there was actually one kid who stayed out of the whole thing. I wouldn't have said he was my 'friend' or anything like that, but he wasn't mean to me, or to the insects. So, I talked to him occasionally. Against my best judgment, I even started to trust him a little. And then, he bowed to a little bit of peer pressure and finally stepped on an ant hill after being coerced to by the others. So, I snapped. You know the rest – I attacked him with a plastic and metal chair. By the end of it, he was on the ground shaking and there was blood everywhere and everyone else was just barely managing to hold me back from going further. I transferred to another school after that."

The pause after that was the longest they'd yet had as Rebecca tried to find the best words she could say. She eventually settled on something.

"Haga, I don't really blame you for that."

"What?" Haga blinked, his eyes wide. "Why not?"

"Well, you were a little kid. Plus, you had all that pent-up rage and then you felt sort've betrayed, right? I mean, sure, your actions weren't justifiable, but they were understandable. And you feel sorry about it now, right?"

"Well, yes, though I _am_ still angry at the kid for his actions by the way. He didn't have to be so damn _weak_."

"I know, but he was a kid too. I think you should forgive him as well as yourself, to be honest," Rebecca told him with a smile. "Or does that sound too difficult?"

"I don't know, but what I really care about is whether or not knowing this changes your opinion of me," Haga said, looking her in the eye. "It doesn't, does it?"

"A little," Rebecca admitted, which brought a slump to Haga's shoulders, "but not negatively. I actually think it's really admirable that you cared so much about creatures that most people – even some adults – only think of as specks that move. You knew that they were alive and you weren't about to consider their lives as being worth 'less' than yours. That's remarkable – for anyone really, but _especially_ a little kid."

"Really?" Haga stared at her for a few moments. "I mean, most people just tell me that it was a 'child thing' and proof that I didn't know about self-awareness, and was thus no smarter than the kids who didn't know about life."

"Well, hey – lacking self-awareness doesn't make anything any less _alive_. I think that you'd have said that much back then, even if you had been told about that psychological concept." She grinned at him. "You sure you weren't some sort of prodigy too?"

"I don't actually know," Haga replied after chuckling a little. "I mean, I've never actually taken any sort of I.Q. test before."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. I've gone to private schools all my life and none of them required that sort of thing," he confirmed with a shrug. "Besides, I have my suspicions about that sort of test anyway. I'm not sure I trust the people who make it to evaluate something so anomalous. I knew one guy whose I.Q. was literally off the scale – he answered _every question correctly_ on the most advanced version of the test, and could therefore not be properly measured by the conventional system – and yet he was incredibly naïve and had a difficult time understanding others to the point where people pretty much labeled him an utter 'tool.'"

"Wow." Rebecca found that pretty amazing. A brilliant person who nonetheless found it extremely difficult to deal with others. Now, who did that sound like? "You sure you're not talking about yourself?"

"Hey! I am _not_ naïve," Haga shot back, but sighed. "Though I can see how he and I were similar, I'll admit." He paused, and then added something. "For the record though, he changed a good deal once he figured things out somehow. He still has difficulties, but was a pretty nice guy the last time I saw him. I guess I'm happy for him."

"Was he your friend?" Rebecca asked, a little surprised to hear Haga speak so gently about someone.

"Nah. I saw him around in junior high and he was my roommate at a boarding school we went to later. I went there for all three of my high school years, but he only went for his last. Before that, he'd attended a public school, but then…" Haga trailed off, looking strangely sad for a moment, and then shook his head. "Anyway, it's getting kind've dark. Do you want to go home, or spend the night at my house?"

"I'll go with that second option," Rebecca decided, getting up and out of the swing just as Haga did. On an impulse, she hopped over and hugged him. "Thanks for talking to me about all this. It's fun picking your brain."

"Aw, well, you're welcome," Haga replied, doing his best to somewhat awkwardly hug Rebecca in return. "Thanks again for listening."

* * *

A/N: Thank you for reading. More soon, I hope. Please leave by a review, if you have the time. Criticism is always welcome. I wish you all happy reading, as always.


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